


Benumbed

by EmillyOrochi



Category: Highschool DxD (Anime), Naruto
Genre: F/M, Twoshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2019-11-21
Packaged: 2021-02-16 23:36:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 24,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21506857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmillyOrochi/pseuds/EmillyOrochi
Summary: He was not anything special. Not a devil. Not an angel. Not a fallen. Just a human. He did not have any special attributes. No sacred gear. No inheritance. No holy power. He was just an ordinary human. But, that did not mean he would sit back and endure everything. He was not powerless. He would just have to play by his own rules.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

XxX Benumbed XxX

"Naruto-chan. Stay in here and don't come out, okay?"

He nodded meekly as he looked into his mother's beautiful eyes. Her usually strong and unrelenting eyes were now filled with worry as she looked at him and rubbed his back lovingly, in an attempt to calm him.

Without another word, she hugged him lightly and left with a kiss on his forehead. Locking him inside the hidden cabinet. It was only for a second, but he had seen the tell-tale signs of tears starting to pour down from her eyes.

He did not know why his mother was crying, but it was making him sad. He wanted to come out and hug his mother, tightly. He wasn't used to seeing his mother like… this. In such pain and sadness. To him, she was the one person who could do the impossible. She would always be smiling for him, cheering for him, brightening up even the gloomiest of his days with one of her smiles.

Just a minute ago, he and his parents had been having their dinner, with his father having just returned from one of his frequent business trip and desperately in need of his mother's delicious cooking. They had been laughing at one of his stories in which he had pranked the teacher's in his school, when, it happened…

His dad had tensed up suddenly, followed by his mom and everything had ceased. They were not laughing anymore. They were not doing anything anymore!

Then, the next thing he knew, he was being hurriedly ushered to the hidden cabinet, where father kept his books, being told to stay. To hide.

So, he hid. He hid as he heard his father's voice, part desperate and part fearful. His father shouting for his mother. Sound of things being broken. Sounds of someone else, someone unknown, shouting.

He hid there. Covering his ears and shutting his eyes, blocking everyone and everything. His mind had started to think of the worst. He did not know how long he stayed like this. He did not remember when he had fallen asleep. But, when he woke up, dead silence greeted him.

Slowly and steadily, he came out of his hiding spot. Daintily, he made his way downstairs, hoping that whatever had happened, was finished.

As he reached the end of the stairway and got a complete look at the place, he could not help by gasp in fear.

Everything…

Everything was destroyed. For his dad's precious bookshelf… to his mom's antique China collection. Everything was destroyed.

But, this wasn't what had shocked him. The cause of his shock were the three people that lay on the ground. A pool of blood was present under and around them.

On shaky legs, he made his way towards them. As he neared them, he recognised one of them. The person had long, red hair.

He pulled his legs forward. He feared he might collapse anytime. His legs felt as if they were made of stone. He walked on the puddle of blood. Not sparing a single glance at the other two. Not caring if the blood coated the soles of his bare feet.

He just made his way to the third person. His mother…

With a shaking hand, he touched her face. She wasn't breathing, he noted with an empty mind.

His heart was engulfed in a certain numbness. It did not pain. It did not slow. It was just that. Numb.

He did not cry. He did not scream. He was too shocked for that.

What he did, though, was close his mother's eyes with his hand. With a smile, he noted that she seemed to be at peace.

"Well, Well…Lookslike the little rat finally came out of hiding…"

His head snapped in the direction of the new voice. With a horrified look, he saw the new man. Though, his horror was not because of the man but what… Or rather whom he was holding.

It was his father.

The man, who was gleefully smiling at him, held in his hand, his father's head.

"Good! I was getting bored. Now I can play with you!"

That was the last thing he heard, before darkness took him.

XxX Benumbed XxX

"D-D-Don't! Please… don't kill me… Show some mercy…!" A bespectacled man, sporting a big gash across his chest, shouted desperately. The odd thing was, that his wound , which was quite big, was rapidly healing itself.

Why? Because he was not an ordinary human. He was not even a human, at that.

"Don't kill me, you say?" A figure stepped out of the shadows. He wore a simple business suit, complete with the shoes. Only missing thing was a tie. In his right hand, held held a weapon. A wakizashi, to be precise. The shiny metal gleamed as drops of blood fell from it's tip. Holding his weapon forth, the dark clad figure addressed the bleeding devil. "Okay." He watched as a shocked yet hopeful expression presented itself on the devil's face. This will be so fun to crush. "But, on one condition."

"A c-condition…?" The devil asked, while still laying on the ground. "What condition…"

The figure smiled. In other circumstances, it would have been perceived as kind one. "Simple. I will not kill you… if you do so yourself." His smile widened as he saw the smallest amount of relief on the devil's face, change into completely of shock. With a flick of the wrist, the wakizashi embedded itself of the wooden floor, beside the devil.

"What!" The devil shouted. He was now bewildered by what his attacker said. Then, the bewilderment turned into rage. He glared at the blond haired figure. Who the hell is this kid! First, he barges in my mansion and kills all my bodyguards. Now he wants me to kill myself! This sick son of a bitch!

The devil had been shocked at how suddenly and soundly it had happened. One second, he was in his mistress in his bedroom and the next second, his guards came flying in with their throats slit. The next thing he knew, his mistress was dead and he was flying through the room with a wound.

The boy had not felt like a fallen. He had not felt a like an angel either. This boy had not felt like any kind of supernatural. So, that had only left exorcist. But, the blond seemed to be missing the slight holy aura that exorcists seemed to carry. All in all, the boy felt like normal human.

But, that did not seem to be right. A human should not have been capable of what this boy had just done! Not move with that speed! Not kill his guards! Not anything!

"You're wasting my time, you know." The blond boy said, shaking the devil out of his thoughts. "If you don't wanna off yourself, then fine. I'll do it for you."

"No! I'll do it!" The man interjected. He held the wakizashi beside him and easily dislodged it from the floor. Gears started turning in his head as he looked at the weapon intently. It was just an ordinary weapon. He could not sense any holy energy from it, if it had some in the first place. I was right… This wakizashi is nothing special. That's why the wound of my chest didn't give that burning sensation which holy weapons give. His eyes trailed to the now nonexistent slash, that was now completely healed. But, then why…? How was this human weapon able to injure me that much? A devil.

Frowning, he tightened his grip on the small blade and looked the blond figure. Now's my chance! Jumping back, he distanced himself from his attacker and now stood at the far side of the room. "Whatever or whoever you are, you've made a big mistake." He said and channeled his power. His figure was now illuminated in a pale blue light as his demonic power soared higher, giving him a newfound strength. "This is your end, human!"

Pushing his legs, he propelled forward, full prepared to skewer the pitiful human on his own blade. For a second, it appeared as if he had vanished.

Then, he appeared. Mid air, above the human and brought the weapon down on his head.

But, his eyes widened when his wrist itself was caught from moving any further.

"They never learn, do they." The blonde figure murmured to himself. His eyes shined with mirth as he looked at the devil, who was caught by him in mid air and had his blade a mere inch over his head. "Let's continue with the original plan, shall we?" He said with a calm smile. Then, he squeezed the devil's wrist. This resulted in the loosening of the man's grip on the weapon and it dropped from his hand.

"Eto." The blond teen swiftly caught the Wakizashi, while still holding the devil's wrist. Then, he swung.

"GYAAHH!" The devil screamed while falling down on the ground. Enraged and agonised, he venomously glared at the blond. "You bastard!"

The attacker walked towards him. His stride slow and relaxed, but at the same time, poised and striking deep fear in the devil's heart. He stopped in front of the fallen devil. "You seem to have a lot of trouble standing today. Need a hand?" He asked with a twisted smile as he offered the devil his own bleeding lump of an arm. "No? Don't want it? Oh well…" He threw the arm away and smiled at the injured devil.

"Now what should I do with you…" He trailed off. Then, he raised a boot clad foot and brought it down hard upon the devil's already bleeding arm, that had been severed off from the elbow region.

He took great pleasure in the man's screams. It was like music to his ears. Like, he was tasting one of the rarest delicacies or listening to one of the greatest symphonies in the world.

"P-Please… Spare me…" The man sobbed. Tears were spilling from his eyes. "Think about my wife… my son… please… my… family…!"

The blonde figure did not stop smiling, however. "Family? What is that, some kind of food?" As if he would think of the man's family! This was the same man who had destroyed countless other families, had many children kidnapped only to be sold in slavery or for experimentation. He would not spare this one. He never did. "Well, let me answer to your plea this way." He cleared his throat. "The number you're trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please stay on the line or call again later."

"W-Who are y-you?"

"Me? I'm just an ordinary human!" With that, he swiped across the devil's neck, separating the head from the body in a single cut. Some of the blood had covered parts of his face and he was fast to wipe them off with his handkerchief. He took his wakizashi and wiped it clean on the dead man's expensive suit. Sheathing his weapon back, he stood up and took out his phone.

A few seconds later, someone picked up.

"Yes?"

"The job's done. I want the payment transfered to my account soon. No delays like last time."

"Got It! Anything else, your highness?" The voice oozed with sarcasm.

"I'm going to Kuoh. As our deal stated."

"No."

"No! What do you mean 'no'?!"

"No means no."

"We had a deal! I do this mission and then I'm free to do my side project!" He seethed.

"Naruto. Try to understand. What you're are doing is really dangerous."

"Isn't it always, Kakashi?"

"Don't you realise! This is the sister of Lucifer AND the sister of Leviathan we're talking about! If anything goes wrong then we'll have the whole Underworld upon us."

"I thought it was only me, not 'We'."

"Don't. Just don't."

He was quiet. So was his boss, on the other line. Then…

"Just do me a favour, okay."

"No promises, though."

"There a new mission, in Kuoh. I'll send you the specifics later on."

"Anything else?"

"Stay safe."

He did not need to be a genius to know which on was his mentor asking as a 'favour'. "…Okay."

Then, the lines went dead.

Naruto took a last glance at the dead devil and started walking away. He had a plane to catch. "Poor bastard. Didn't even knew that it was his wife who had ordered the hit. Well, whatever." Indeed, the wife had suspected him of having a mistress. Although, it was not uncommon amongst devils to have a harem or multiple mistresses, it needed to happen with the consent of the lady of the house. Sadly, it did not happen in this case. He had not qualms with carrying out this mission. It was already known that the man ranran illegal auctions. Plus, the pay was also decent.

"Well, they do say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

XxX Benumbed XxX

Bored ceruleans took in the various attractions that the night brought with it, passing by. Teenagers… boys and girls walking together, hand in hand and laughing at lame jokes, enjoying their date without any care of the world. Cars… people of all kinds going about, busy in their own life, without any care of the world. Families… parents walking together with their young ones, smiling, laughing, enjoying life while they can, without any care of the world.

Family…

Naruto allowed himself to smile at that. He had sometimes thought about how his life would have been had his parents been alive. If they had not been attacked that night. Sure, the pain was unbearable in the beginning, but, he had now learned to deal with it. Though, it did not mean that the pain was any less. It just meant had he had learned to buffer it to a small degree. It also helped knowing that because of him, many other families were living in peace.

Someone has to sacrifice their sleep, so someone else can slumber peacefully. The blond teen thought with empty, half-lidded eye. He had drilled into his mind that it had been for better. Losing his parents, that is. Because of that, he had become powerful. Because of that, he had been able to save countless people by killing countless others. Because of that, he had learned to trust no one.

Closing his eyes, he relaxed back in his seat, trying to calming his mind as the driver took him to the airport.

"Kuoh, huh? I can't wait." He murmured. Then, his eyes narrowed. The fuck's a Seraph doing here… Though, the presence was gone as soon as it appeared. Come to think of it. I did feel something similar at that devil's mansion. He did not worry a bit. Angels, especially Seraph, rarely did anything without a concrete reason.

For now, he enjoyed the jazz playing in the car.


	2. Nothing

_Naruto! Open the door, please!"_

_He heard his godfather shouting. He heard him banging on the door of his new room. He wanted to forget everything. He wanted to forget his mom's cries, his dad's shouts. He just wanted to block out everything. Block out everyone._

_"Naruto-kun, please." His godfather's voice had become small now. It was almost as if he were begging. "You haven't eaten anything since the morning. It's almost midnight."_

_He got up from his bed, rubbed his eyes and went to open the door. His godfather would not relent. He wordlessly opened it and went back to lie down on his bed._

_The sound of the door creaking open and the footsteps told him that the man was in the room._

_"Naruto…" He felt his godfather sit down beside him and felt the man caress his head lightly. Just like his mother used to. He closed his eyes, trying to enjoy the jesture while it lasted._

_"Naruto-kun, it is hard, I know…" He heard the man speak in a low voice. "But, that doesn't mean you have stay like this."_

_He fisted the sheets tightly, unable to hear it. Unwilling to hear it. "What do you know…" He whispered, but the man heard him clearly._

_"Yeah, what do I know…" His godfather said to himself. "Not the same way, atleast."_

_"Go away." He said as his voice cracked. "Please…"_

_His plea fell on deaf ears as the hand that was caressing his head, did not stop._

_He slowly got up and sat beside his godfather. "Kakashi, may I ask something."_

_"Anything you want."_

_He looked up at his godfather. The man's eyes were filled with nothing but love. "Who killed my parents?"_

_He saw his godfather's eyes fill with different emotions. The most prominent amongst them was worry. "…I'll tell you when the time comes…"_

_Anger engulfed him. "Why!?" He shouted in bewilderment. "My parents were killed! I have the right to know who killed them! Why won't you tell me dammit!?"_

_"I'll tell you, I promise. But, not now." His godfather said in a raspy voice. He could not see but the man was trying to control his emotions. Trying not to sob. Trying to remain strong, for him._

_He quieted down. His outburst had released some of his anger. Ceruleans that had now lost their warmth, were now filled with tears. Unable to control himself anymore, he sobbed._

_Seeing this, his godfather snaked his arms around him, trying to pulling him to his chest, trying to comfort him._

_But, he pushed him away._

_"Naruto…" His godfather looked at him with slight shock. Then, he looked at the floor with downcast eyes. Disappointed in himself. "…I'll… tell you…" He said as he closed his eyes. Thinking, if he was doing the right thing._

_He looked at his godfather in surprise, "Why…? You just said…"_

_The silver haired man smiled one of his famous eye smiles at him. "This is the best time as any."_

_He saw the look on his godfather's face. Though, he was smiling, but, it was not a genuine one._

_His godfather took the glass of water, on the table, and gulped in hurriedly. "Do you know about angels?"_

_He nodded, confused at such an odd question._

_His godfather looked him in the eye. "Now, what I'm about to tell you might seem a bit… unbelievable. But, bear with me till the end, okay?"_

_He nodded seriously and with a tinge of confusion._

_"Our story starts with the three factions. They are…"_

_He listened. He took in everything and every word with rapt attention. What were the three factions of supernatural. How it all came to be. Everything. At a point, it seemed to be a lie, all of it. But, he knew that it was not so. He knew that the man who killed his parents was not a human. Those eyes… did not belong to a human._

_When Kakashi was finished, he turned to his godfather._

_"Why… Why did my parents die, then? What could have anyone gained from killing them?" His eyes widened in realisation. His question had answered itself. "… unless…" He looked at his godfather with horrified eyes._

_"Yes…" The man tore his gaze away from him, unable to see the hurt in them. "Your father and mother, both, were… a part of the holy faction. They were exorcists… two of the strongest and most talented exorcists ever produced."_

_"You're lying! Tell me you're lying! My father was a businessman and my mother was just a housewife! They were not some… some ex-exorcist bullshit!"_

_His godfather did not say anything. His gaze was downcast, unable to look at the poor child. He just raised a hand and in it, materialised a glowing sword of white light. A holy sword._

_With wide eyes, he looked at what his godfather just did._

_"Your father… he was also my teacher."_

_As his godfather told him that, he felt a number of emotions pass through his being. This time, the strongest was betrayal. "My whole life… is… a lie." He whispered in a hollow voice. "My parents… they lied to me… all this time." As much as he wanted to forget about all of this, not believe anything, he knew that he could not._

_"Naruto."_

_He was taken aback by the steel in his godfather's voice. He looked at the man._

_"You and I, both, know that isn't true. Your parents loved you more than anything."_

_"How? How do you know that? My father and mother were not who I believed them to be. All this time… they… I…" He could not form words. He mind felt like it was going to explode._

_"Naruto!" The man started, this time more forcefully, startling him out of his thoughts. "Your parents loved you and the reason they didn't tell you the truth was to protect you. If anything, you should be grateful to them. You're alive because of them."_

_He thought. He thought that he was indeed lucky to be alive. He thought that he was lucky to have such a person as his godfather, someone who tried. He thought what his parents hid from him, was indeed, for his own wellbeing._

_He looked at his godfather with a slight smile. The man looked back with slight surprise, then smiled back._

_"I'm hungry."_

_"Oh? If only I knew, I would have fixed something for you." His godfather said in a teasing tone._

_He pouted at that. This made the older man chuckle._

_"Here you go!" He handed him the plate. "Come downstairs when you are finished."_

_He nodded, "I'm sorry… for your eye." He said as he heard his godfather open the door and about to exit._

_Kakashi stood there, surprised that the boy had figured it out. "Meh! That's like nothing, for my sweet little godson."_

_He kept looking out of the window, at the moonless sky. "I want to become strong." He said to himself, but, the silver haired exorcist heard it._

_"That you will become. I know it." With that, the man was gone._

_He smiled. But, as soon as he heard the door close, his smile vanished. His lips turned into a thin line. His eyes became unfocused, still affixed to the sky._

_He thought. He thought that he was unlucky to be alive, when his parents were not. He thought that contrary to what he had believed till now, there really was no God. He thought that the world was really unfair._

_He realised that he needed to become strong. The strongest he could be._

_He decided. Strong, he would become._

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

Ceruleans took in the view in front of them with a slight amount of interest and humour. In front of them, was a normal Japanese apartment. Except for the fact, that it was not normal.

 _Well, that's only because of the tenant._ Naruto thought with a slight smirk. Moving forward, he knocked on the door twice, instead of using the doorbell.

"It's open!"

As he heard it, the blond pushed it open and entered inside, locking the door behind him. There were no signs of the person, as far as his eyes could see. Without a word, he went and sat down on the couch. He had arrived here, at the client's place, as soon as he had received the contact details and arrived in Kuoh.

The blond teen was busy in thought when a dark figure rose behind him.

"Are you done? If not, then by all means, please carry on…" Naruto said with his usual, amused smile. "…I would love to tell my boss that I killed my client, in self-defence that is." His hand held his wakizashi.

The dark figure deflated and stepped out in the light in the room. He went and sat in front of the blond, on a chair. "You're no fun!" He grumbled.

Naruto's eyes held a slight amount of mirth at the taller man's antics. "Ah well, one cannot be too sure of whether they're being attacked or jump scared. Now, let's get to the fun part, shall we, Azazel?" He said and leaned back into his seat.

The governor-general of Grigori narrowed his violet eyes at the teen. "Yes. But, I must say I am rather surprised that they sent you, of all people, for this."

"Oh? Is that so…" The teen said as he tilted is head in slight interest. "By your way of saying this, I presume that it isn't a usual assassination job…?"

The dual hair toned man nodded, "Yes. It's an espionage mission. On one of my own."

Naruto rose an eyebrow. _There is new._ "Surely, you could have had one of your subordinates do it for you, why call us then…?" Then, he grinned and his eyes shone as the realisation set in. "… Unless… there is a traitor of high stature in Grigori, isn't there?" He enjoyed look on fallen's face, even if it stayed for a second. _Caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, weren't you._

Azazel did not like the look on the teen's face one bit. _You're too damn smart for your own good, aren't you._ "It's not confirmed, but I have my doubts. There is a high level traitor in the Grigori." He confirmed with a downcast look. It was like finding a traitor in your family.

"So, what exactly do you want me to do."

Azazel looked at the teen, who had a bored look on his face. "There's a girl, Raynare…"

Naruto listen to everything with half lidded eyes. All the necessary bits and pieces. How this fallen angel called Raynare was going around doing things that were not ordered to her. How Azazel suspected that she was working for the the mastermind, the traitor. How she was now prancing around as a school girl, trying to get close to a boy, who was the assumed wielder of a sacred gear. All this and all that.

When the man was finished, Naruto spoke, "You want me to spy on her and find out who her boss is…?"

Azazel nodded.

The teen stared at the fallen. "… and what after that? About the girl, I mean."

Azazel was silent for a while. Then, he spoke. "Whatever you want to do."

Naruto's eyes stayed on the leader of the fallen angel. His silent stare was met by a raised eyebrow from Azazel.

"What? Is something on my face?" Azazel asked.

Naruto smiled. "Whatever I want, huh? Maybe I should bring her back to Grigori after I'm done with her. The girl would love to be with her 'family'." He watched with half-lidded eye as the emotions changed in Azazel's eyes, despite of no outwardly reaction. The Leader of the fallen angel's was really good at politics, he would given him that. _Well, that IS why he is the leader, isn't he._ "Oh my, Mr. Azazel… Why did you become quiet all of a sudden? Someone got your tongue?" He mocked the taller man. "I wouldn't have thought that the so called 'peace-loving' leader of the fallen angels would be a two faced bastard in reality. You want that little fallen angel of yours killed, don't you? The little, single pair possessing Raynare, who no doubt, is acting under someone else's command. You want me to have that probably innocent girl and her accomplices disposed off, don't you?" He fired away with an on increasingly accusing tone. His face had a scowl, disgusted by the person in front of him. His eyes were glaring venomously at the fallen.

The fallen was silent. But, one could have seen his hands ball into tight fists. His jaw had also tightened.

Naruto kept glaring at him. "Why so quiet? Aren't you going to answer me? Aren't you going to tell me that you want to have that Raynare girl killed? That you don't want one of your men doing the dirty deed! That you don't want the girl to know that her dear Azazel-sama was the one responsible for her death?! Aren't you going to tell me that you don't want that girl's faith in you to be shattered?! Aren't you going to tell me that you don't want Raynare to know the truth about her Azazel-sama?! Say it! Say that you want her dead! SAY IT! **SAY IT!** "

"Yes! I want her dead! I want the people who help her dead! As soon as they betrayed me and the Grigori, I had decided to have them killed! You know why?! Because I don't need traitors in my ranks! I'm sorry if I didn't come across as the peace loving person that I pretend to be! But I do what needs to be done!" By now, the fallen angel was red faced and slightly panting from his outburst. He was no longer seated. He glared back at the blond teen. "Happy?!"

Naruto's facial expressions of disgust and rage did not change while Azazel ranted on. But, when the twelve winged fallen had stopped, something completely unexpected happened.

"Very good."

Azazel looked in bewilderment at the blond. The angry and accusing look that the teen had until a second ago, was completely gone, as if it was not there in the first place. "… What…?"

"Very good." Indeed, the blond haired teen was not as he seemed seconds ago. His face had a small smile and his eyes held a small amount of mirth, enjoying the older man's flustered and confused look. "You do what needs to be done, even if it means doing something that is generally frowned upon. I accept that quality for a leader. I just didn't like you for acting so laid back and as a peace lover. When in reality, you can have children killed without a shred of remorse." He said in a patronising yet loathing way, with his smile. "I don't like when people wear a mask in my presence. When people hide their true self."

Azazel did a double take. He could not form words to react to the human. He settled for rubbing his temples tiredly. "You bastard…" He glared at the blond. "Your anger… that was all an act…? …You trickster…!"

"Oh, don't be like that! I just do what needs to be done." Naruto said with his smile and a slight tilt of his head, repeating Azazel's own words. "Well, as much as I would like to see you like this, I'm afraid we have business to take care of."

Azazel begrudgingly complied. Calming himself down, he looked at the blond with a no nonsense look. "I don't care how you do it, just get it done. Now, leave if you have got everything you need."

The blond got up from his seat, wakizashi still in hand. "Well then, I'll be taking my leave." He turned to the door, walking to it. He held the door knob, but, turned his neck to look at the Leader of the fallen. "The way you got angry, I thought you were going to pull a coronary."

Azazel gave him a dry look, "I was going to attack YOU. But, I controlled myself."

Naruto's eyes shined. "Oh? Now I feel stupid." His smile widened a little. "If I'd known that, then I would have atleast tried to anger you. I did kinda hope that you'd attack me." His eyes darkened. "You see, I would have loved to tell my boss that I killed the client." His smile turned cheery. "Well, bye bye!"

Then, he was gone. Just like that.

Azazel stared at the door with a sour expression. "Tch. Bastard."

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

Naruto strutted through the streets of Kuoh, with his hands in his pocket and a smile gracing his lips. His mind, though, was a whirlwind of thoughts, mostly occupied by the recent meeting that took place with one of, if not the, oldest fallen angel in existence. This was the first time that they had actually met face to face, even though, they knew about each other far longer.

Only a handful of people knew about the blonde' true identity, whatsoever, and even fewer had met him in person. The Leader of the fallen being one of them, now.

The blond teen's identity was so well hidden that not even the four great Mao knew all about him. They just knew about his appearance.

But, he would not be too confident about it. He would not put it past the Leaders of the devil faction to get some crucial information on him through their spies or someone else. The faction that knew most about him was the holy faction. Seeing that his parents and mentor, all, were exorcists and also due to other factors.

Usually, Kakashi gave him the missions with all of their details and he did it. No questions asked. Mostly.

Naruto was not against of being exposed to the three factions in all of his bloody and dark glory. On the contrary, he supported it. _What would happen after that, exactly? They will send assassins for my head. They will try everything in their power to kill me. Nothing unusual. Just that I'll be crushing more bugs._

 _Talk about being overpowered._ He snorted as he thought about Azazel. _He is a twelve winged fallen angel and has a sacred gear, to boot. Though, from what I felt, it wasn't a genuine one. Kakashi also mentioned about the guy's fascination with sacred gears._ The blond's mind came up with a fast conclusion. _That means he went and made himself one, instead of killing someone and taking their sacred gear. That cunning bird…_

From the corner of his eye, the blond saw the approaching figure of a nun. At first, he paid no attention to it, but, something compelled him to do so… something told him that the girl was far more interesting.

Grinning, he stopped in front of her. "Hello~, little princess!" He nearly shouted in her face, making her fall on her back.

Still grinning, he went and helped her up.

"S-Sorry! I didn't see you!" The girl said in a timid voice while she rubbed her head. She spoke in fluent Italian, apparently a foreigner. Naruto knew that she was really not from around. Her looks justified that.

The suited teen looked at the nun with an amused look. "No need to apologise. I was the one who scared you in the first place." He replied in Italian, while adopting an embarrassed look. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you."

The nun was surprised that the blond boy in front of her, spoke in her native language. That made conversing very easy! Smiling herself, she bowed, "I-I'm Asia Argento! Nice to meet you too!"

Naruto smiled. "Oh? You're not from around here, I guess." He said with a smile.

She shook her head. "Oh no…" She, then, gained a sad look but hid it quickly.

The blond teen's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he caught the hesitation in the nun's voice. She was hiding something. His face broke into a kind and caring smile. "I'm also not from around here. I just arrived here today." He saw her nod at that. "Say, Asia… seeing as we both are new here, let's do some sightseeing, shall we…"

Asia looked at the taller blond with a surprised experience. "Ano… I'm here with somebody else… they'll be worried…"

"Ah, don't worry! I guess they are from the church, as well?"

Asia nodded feverishly, "Yes! Raynare-sama and Father Sellzen."

"Oh?" Outwardly, the blond did not show anyway reaction,except for a raised eyebrow. But, on the inside, he started connecting each and every piece together. "Father Sellzen? Freed… Sellzen…?" He asked.

Asia's wide eyes shone with surprise, "You know Father Freed!"

Naruto smiled at her. She was just like a child. Very expressive of herself, "I know of Freed Sellzen. He is a very… dedicated individual." He, then, looked at her, right in the the eyes. "I also know of Raynare-sama."

Asia was know genuinely surprise. "Wow! To think that I would be meeting someone like you so soon! God really works his mysterious ways."

Naruto did not say anything. He just stared walking at a sedate pace and the nun followed him. "Asia…"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you here? And please feel free to tell me about everything."

Asia looked down, hesitation evident in her eye. "I… I…" She was nervous about telling someone she had just met. _What if he thinks if I'm really a witch…_

Suddenly, she felt a hand resting on her head.

"Now, now, little princess. If you don't want to tell then it's alright."

She looked in the taller blond' eyes. They were so full of warmth and kindness.

"No! It's alright!" She exclaimed. "It's that… I'm not from here." She started, while continuing her pace and walking besides the blond. "I have followed God's teachings my entire life. I have had the ability to heal people since I was a child… because of that, I was known as The Holy Priestess…"

"But… but one day, I found this person outside and he was injured. So, I did the only thing I could. I healed him."

The blond could feel her emotional turmoil. It was hard not to, with such an expressive girl.

Asia continued, "He was a devil, but I still healed him. How could I not? God teaches us to help those in need, so how could I have left him like that." She stopped and looked down at the ground. "But… when the others found out about It… they… they shunned me. They called me a w-witch and banished me…!" By now, she had started crying and had covered her face with her hands, trying to hide it from the taller blond.

What she did not expect, was to be enveloped in a big hug, all of a sudden. "N-Naruto-san!"

Naruto had listened to everything the girl had said. He realised that the girl, Asia, possessed a sacred gear, which warranted her healing power and confirmed the feeling he got from her earlier. He realised that what the girl felt now, on being banished from the Church, was akin to the feeling of losing one's family. He realised that if he did not comfort the vulnerable girl, he would be more of an asshole than he usually was.

So, deciding to against his better judgement, he hugged her. This resulted in her shouting out his name in surprise. But, he did not let her go and kept her in his embrace. She eased in his arms, only the sound of her crying being present in the otherwise silent area. He kept running his hand over her head, through her shiny, golden locks. It was one of the only comforting gestures he knew. Eventually, the girl stopped crying and was now just sniffling.

Asia, for her part, was scared to be rejected by Naruto, just like the church, when she told hit her story. She hid her face, so as to not see the look of contempt on the taller blond' face. But, she was genuinely surprised, when he hugged her and did not let her go even when she tried to free herself. It was an unexpected gesture but not an unwanted one. So, she did the only thing she could. She cried. She cried away her pain. She cried away her sorrow. She cried away her every burden.

Naruto, then, let her go. Reaching inside a pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, little princess." He said with a smile.

Asia took the offered piece of cloth and blew her nose in it. She, then, looked at the blond teen, "Why…? I-I went against the-"

"Asia, are you okay?" He cut in.

"Yes." She nodded.

He smiled, "Brilliant." Then, he hit her lightly on the head.

"Ouch!" She looked at him with a confused expression, while nursing her head.

Naruto just stared back with the smallest upward curve of his lips. "I'll be brief. Asia, do you regret that you saved that devil's life? Do you think that saving him was a mistake because of what happened to you afterwards? That you would have been better had you let that devil die, seeing as they are the enemies of everything that is holy?" He was not feeling even a little bit guilty for manipulating the girl in such a subtle yet effective way. He framed his questions in such a way that they, no doubt, affected the kind and caring nun. He was playing with her emotions.

Asia gasped at what the blond said. "No! No! Naruto-san. I don't blame him one bit for what happened with me! He was someone in need and I was there to help him. I feel lucky that I was the one who got the chance to help him!" Her wide eyes spoke the truth.

Naruto assessed her with a smile. _Asia, my dear, you truly are kind._ "Then, why are you still moping about it? Instead, you should be happy that you got to save a life. Why do you refer to yourself as a sinner, a witch? If saving a life is a sin, then God, Himself, is one of the biggest sinners. You did a great deed and you should be proud of yourself. So what if you got banished! So what if your family abandoned you! Let me tell you something. True family never leaves their own, if they do, then they aren't your family! But, this does not mean that your life ends here. You can always start anew. Make new friends! A new family!"

Asia listened to this with wide eyes. Tears were starting to gather in her eyes. She knew that everything the blond said was true, even if it stabbed her in the heart with each and every word. She knee that as much as it pained her to think that her family had banished her, it was the truth and she had to live with it..

Naruto looked at her with half-lidded eye. "Asia…" He continued when he had her attention. "Asia… I… I know that it can be tough… losing the ones you care about, the people around whom your life revolves. But, that'd doesn't mean that your life ends. It just means that you have to find someone else to care about, some new people to cherish."

"Naruto-san…" Asia stared at the blond teen, who suddenly looked so much older and wise, with emotion akin to awe. "That's… beautiful…"

He grinned at her. "Has to be. It's not mine, though." He, suddenly had a far away look in his eyes. "It's of someone very precious to me." He, then, looked back at her with a smile.

"Naruto-san?"

"Yes?"

"Have you found someone?" Noting his look of confusion, she elaborated. "I mean, someone you care about?"

He regarded her with a smile. "You want to know the truth?" He saw her nod. "Well… no."

"No?"

"No. Your answer. No, I have not found someone that I can bring myself to care about." He answered with a smile.

Asia was confused, "But what about that precious person you were talking about…?"

He looked away. "They are not alive… Not anymore." His right hand curled up tightly, with his nails digging into the palm of his hand. He, then, looked at the nun with a smile. "Say, Asia… why don't you come and live with me…"

Asia, who was reprimanding herself for bringing up the memory, jerked her head upward to look at the taller blond. "N-Naruto-san…" She uttered. "I-I can't…" She said in a broken voice. Here was some she had just met, who was inviting her to live with them. While the people she had considered to be her family until now, had severed their every bond with her. She wanted to go. She really wanted to stay with him. But, she knew she could not. She would not want to get him into any trouble because…

"Because of Raynare…" He set her with a piercing gaze. His face was now devoid of his smile. "It's because Raynare, isn't it…? You really are worried about me… that Raynare or Freed Sellzen would cause some kind of harm to me?" He kept his eyes on her frame for a few seconds, then, looked away while chuckling lightly to himself. "Damn it…" He uttered as she shook his head.

Asia looked on, confused and interested about what Naruto was thinking.

"Look, Asia." He started and turned to the girl, with a smile. "Raynare the fallen angel and the stray exorcist Sellzen… these two can't do shit to me and neither to you because you're under my protection from now on." He grasped her shoulders in his hands. "Believe me when I say that they will never even touch a single strand of hair on your head and I mean it."

Asia, who was caught off gaurd by the taller teen's proclamation, could only nod in response. His very presence had lulled her into a sense of protection and comfort. She could see in his eyes, the resolve to protect her. She could see in his eyes, a certain kind of strength. But, a thought came to her mind, "Naruto-san, how…? She's a fallen angel… and you…you are…"

"Just a human?" He finished with a grin. "Asia, did you not notice that I'm aware of their true nature? Raynare the 'fallen angel' and Freed the 'stray exorcist', hmm? Of your sacred gear?" Ruffling her hair, he turned away from her. His eyes hardened and glinted as he stared into the horizon. "Even if I'm a human, I won't let anyone even lay a finger on you." Then, he turned towards her. "Eto. It's getting dark, isn't it." His smile had returned and his eyes had lost their dangerous look, now replaced by warmth. "So, what to do you say, little princess? Wanna come and live with me?" He finished with an exaggerated bow and held out his palm for her to take. "Just so you know, I'll stay like this until you accept. You wouldn't want to keep an old man like me is such a position, would you?"

Asia giggled at the blond's antics. She did not know why, but she felt at complete ease in his presence. It was like nobody could touch her as long as her was by her side. Even though he was a human, he had a certain presence. He was the first person since her excommunication, who made her feel unjudged and unafraid. Even with Raynare-sama and the others, she felt an unease. They made her feel like she was a nuisance and she should have been grateful to them for taking her in. They made her feel unwelcomed. She was grateful. She really was, but, she never felt like she was loved.

But, here was who she had just met, offering her a place to stay and without any conditions, at that. This person had known her truth, had known why she had been ostracised, and yet he still accepted her. He did not judge her for what she had done, but saw her for who she was. He made her feel like a normal person. Not like the 'holy priestess' that everyone at the church. Not like an object to be used and thrown away once it fulfilled it's purpose. But, like a normal person.

The answer was obvious. She took the offered appendage, "Yes. I'll go with you, Naruto-san."

"All right!" Naruto stood up straight and grinned at the girl. Then, he realised something. "Asia, what do you say about going sightseeing tomorrow? It's getting late. So, how about we postpone our plan? Let's go to my… no, your new home and fix you something to eat, shall we?"

Asia nodded with a smile on her face. "Our home, Naruto-san."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Our home, huh? I like it." Then, he started walking and the nun followed him.

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

"Oh! This is your house, Naruto-san?" Asia stared at the mansion that stood in front of her in all of its glory. Her eyes shined with unconcealed surprise and awe.

Naruto glanced at the girl from the corner of his eye and smiled a little as he saw the innocent blonde bare her emotions like an open book. "It's a rental. I like to stay in far away, secluded places and this is one of the few places that were available. So, you like it?" He saw her nod her head. "Good. Let's go inside, shall we? I'm sure you are tired from this walking."

Within seconds, the blond unlocked the gate and went inside as Asia followed after him at a more steady pace. "Feel free to choose whichever room you want. I'll prepare something for us to eat."

Asia, who was busy admiring the beauty of the house, shot him down when she heard him. "No! Naruto-san, I'll cook!"

The taller blond looked at her, "You sure?"

"Yes!"

Naruto smiled, "Well then, go nuts. The kitchen is stocked with anything and everything. I made sure of it."

"Yes!"

"Asia?"

"Yes!"

Naruto's left eye twitched, "You can relax, you know? This isn't a military camp."

"Yes!"

This time, his right eye twitched. "I think I should cook. Meanwhile, go and take a long, relaxing bath." He started walking towards the kitchen. But, suddenly found his path being blocked by the girl. "… Yes?"

Asia figdeted under his gaze. "Um, Naruto-san… I want to cook. It's my way of saying thank you."

"For what?"

Asia looked at him, "For allowing me to live here."

Naruto stared at her with unblinking eyes. His gaze made her nervous and she squirmed a little. Then, after what felt like an eternity of dead silence, he spoke. "Asia… do things if you wish to, not because you feel obliged to. You are to live in this house as my equal, not as anything else. That being said, now go and take a long bath. Got it, young lady?"

Asia just nodded. His tone was soft but it was clear and left no room for any argument.

"Good. I'll prepare the dinner." He turned away from her and started walking towards the battlefield. "It's my way of saying thank you."

Asia blinked in confusion. "For what?"

He kept on walking, not saying a word. Asia shrugged her shoulders and started climbing the stairs when he did not reply.

Naruto's face held a sincere smile as he watched the girl disappear into the hallway from the corner of his eyes. "For accepting to live with me."

The rest of the evening had passed away in a blink of an eye. Or it seemed so. Naruto could hardly tell. Between fixing the dinner and having it, they had lost track of time. He had to cook again, though, this time Asia helped him, because they had squabbled about who gets to set the dinner table and in turn, led to the utter destruction of the said dinner. Before he knew, the casserole which was being yanked by him and Asia towards their respective selves, was flying through the air. Before he could show any other reaction instead of a part surprised and part horrified look, the contents of the said casserole hit him square in the face. Just like the said contents, a realisation hit him. Asia was pretty strong for her appearance, surprisingly so.

He had to decide between whether to keep spasming and twitching, or try to console the girl, who looked to be on the verge of crying. The answer was obvious. So, after helping the said girl calm down to the best of his abilities, he went to shower and wash the bits of the destroyed inarizushi.

After that, he started preparing the dinner again. Though, this time he had asked Asia to help him and the girl was more than happy to oblige. He really did not want to be food smashed in the face, again. Once was more than enough.

Dinner had gone without any disasters. Asia had been kind enough to carry out most of the conversation in a very animated and interesting manner. The girl told him about her life in the church, her 'family' and the people she met. Naruto was thankful for that. He did not know how to make any kind of idle conversation. Even with his time of living together with his godfather, all the dinner talk had been minimal, _if_ there had been any at all. Though, there was not any lack of trying on his godfather's part.

After finishing the food, he had asked the tired girl to go and get some well deserved rest. Thankfully, Asia did so with any protest and he got to cleaning the dishes.

Now, here he was, sitting in the complete silence and isolation of his room, staring up at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. The room was dark and filled with deathly silence, with the silvery moonlight being the only source of light in the room, even if it was not much. Even though his eyes were nothing but endless pools of azure, lacking any emotion. His face held a small frown which represented the true state of his mind. He thought about Asia and how much had she affected him in not even a whole day. But, a certain feeling accompanied that thought. An unwelcomed, uncomfortable feeling.

Thankfully, he was cut off from his thoughts when his phone rang and he hurriedly took it out from his pocket, all the while cursing the caller. "You're late."

_"Oh? I was expecting something along the lines of 'hello' or 'hi' or my all time favourite 'yo'. But, I guess thats to much to ask from you… even if I'm your godfather."_

Naruto's left eye twitched. He could hear the man faking a sob and blowing his nose, on the other end. "I met with the client today."

 _"So, you got all the details, I guess."_ The voice of his godfather did not hold the playful tone from earlier. This was the serious, business tone that he liked to hear.

"Yes. Azazel was kind enough to tell me everything.… well, the basics, atleast. Also, I'm pretty sure he has gone and created himself a fake sacred gear."

_"Figures. That is one sneaky crow."_

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "You don't sound too surprised. Hell, you don't even sound surprised."

_"Azazel has always been fascinated with sacred gears. If you ask me, I would say it's about time he got himself one. There's also that rumour…"_

"Rumour…?"

_"Oh, nothing! Forget I ever said that!"_

"What. Rumour?" Sometimes, he really had the feeling that his godfather was screwing with him on purpose.

 _"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you. No point in hiding things now, is there."_ The man chuckled to himself. _"Azazel has a sacred gear user in his little group. A genuine one."_

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "That means he has got his hands on some poor human's sacred gear… Or convinced some idiot human to join him." These were the most-likely-to-have-happened scenarios take came to his mind. "But, I can't think why that is so important."

_"The sacred gear is one of the Longinus. This one holds Albion, the vanishing dragon."_

"I… see."

 _"Their identity is still unknown. But, I plan on sending Yamato to find out everything about them."_ His godfather sounded a little tensed.

"Well, that aside, I need you to get me into Kuoh academy somehow. I'm short on time, so it would be much appreciated if I could start by tomorrow."

_"You're telling me this now?"_

"You know, you could have called me earlier instead of the usual midnight routine."

 _"Oh yeah! I should've used my clairvoyance to know this was gonna happen and called you! Silly me!"_ With that, the serious, business tone was gone.

Naruto's right eye twitched. "…asshole…"

_"You said somethin'?"_

Naruto knew that he was at fault here, for not calling his godfather earlier. Not that he would admit it out loud, "So? Will you do something or not?"

_"Oh… I don't know…. It is YOUR mission, you know. If only a certain someone had told me about it sooner…"_

"You've already got it done, haven't you." The blonde stated suspiciously.

 _"Yup! You've got to be super fast in today's world, kiddo! Had it done first thing in the morning.… well, not the first thing, hehe."_ He could only imagine the silver haired exorcist's smug look.

 _"Um… Naruto…"_ His godfather's voice was soft, now. It was like when someone tries to bring up a taboo subject.

"… Yes…?"

 _"I know you won't deter, no matter how much I try to stop you… but… just be careful, okay?"_ He hated that tone. It made him remember that there were people who still cared about him, who still loved him. _"This isn't the Gremory heiress and the Sitri heiress I'm talkin' about, but the sister of Lucifer and the sister of Leviathan… What you're trying to do isn't worth it."_

"I know." He said in a hard voice. "It's just that I don't care."

 _"Dammit Naruto!"_ He heard his godfather's anger laced voice. He heard the sound of fist hitting against something hard. But, he did not care. He had come too far to care. His godfather was silent for a while, before he spoke again. _"Your school uniform will be delivered to you by morning."_ He had expected to hear the coldness in his godfather's voice that was usually present in such a situation like now, but, this was not the case. This time, his godfather sounded tired.

The blond did not feel good about it. He could deal with the angry tone and some verbal lashing from the silver haired man. In fact, he was hoping for that. But, he was not ready for the weary and broken voice his godfather, the man who was both a mother and father to him, spoke in.

_"Well then, I guess that's everything…"_

"Wait!" He almost shouted.

_"What?"_

"I… wanted to tell you something… " He said in with slight hesitation and uncertainty.

_"…I'm listening."_

He, then, decided against it. "Good night!"

 _"… Good night?! That's what all that damn build up was for?!"_ Just like that, his godfather's attitude did a complete one eighty. _"… and it's morning here in the States!"_

Naruto smiled slightly at the sudden change in attitude. "I know! I know!… and thank you… for everything." Abruptly, he disconnected the call, not waiting and wanting to hear the reply.

Dropping his phone lightly on the nightstand, he went and fell face first on the bed, not even bothered by sleeping in his regular attire.

"Maybe I should've told him about Asia." He mumbled into the soft pillow. "… and give him another thing to worry about? No, thanks!"

His last thoughts lingered on the kind girl before he fell asleep.

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

"That man can sure be efficient when the situation calls." Naruto said to no one as he observed himself in the full length mirror. His godfather had be true to his word and the blond teen was sporting his uniform, which he found neatly folded on the porch earlier this morning. This was true express delivery. "I look better in my suit."

He had woken up even earlier today than at what time he usually did because he had someone living with him now and he thought that it would not be bad if he got up before them and prepared the breakfast.

So, after checking up on the soundly sleeping nun, he took a look outside the house and found his school clothes… which he was dangerously close to walking over, before he noticed them.

He would not admit it but he was less than enthusiastic on going to high school for the first ever time in his life. Being home schooled was fun when your teacher was your godfather, but being in an environment with people of the same age who have _not_ even come close to remotely killing someone can be a bit… unnerving.

There was a reason why he usually did assassination missions instead of infiltration and espionage.

But, feeling too sleepy ( _read: lazy)_ and it being too early, he decided to ditch preparing the breakfast and went out for a quick run. Before he knew it, his quick run turned into a town wide mad dash because he suddenly got the idea to beat his previous town wide dash time.

So, his surprise was evident, when he was suddenly jumped on and hugged to death by a crying Asia, upon his return. The girl had eventually stopped crying as he rubbed her back soothingly and when asked why she was crying for the matter, she mumbled a reply which had momentarily stunned him.

_"I thought you'd left me, too…"_

Once he had regained his senses, he had hugged the teary eyed girl and calmly reassured her that he would be forever there for her, no matter what. After he had consoled Asia and put a rest to her fears, he asked her to go and take a bath while he fixed them something to eat. The girl had listened to him immediately, but she kept turning behind and stealing glances at him until she went inside her room. It was as if the taller blond would have vanished if she had let him out of sight for even the slightest periods of time.

Seeing the girl like this left a bad taste in Naruto's mouth. Asia' heart was in a fragile state due to everything that had happened with her so far, and he knew that he was not doing anything to help her. In fact, he was making it worse.

Even while he cooked, his mind kept replaying the forlorn look on the girl's face. Then, what he had told her minutes ago, came to his mind.

_"I'll be always here for you, Asia. It's a promise of a lifetime."_

That thought, alone, was more than enough to awaken a deep seated fear within him. Or perhaps, it was such that he had know that all along, from the moment he had met Asia and made her a part of his life, knowingly so…?

"You think too much, you idiot." He said to his reflection in a low voice. Shaking himself off of all kinds of thought, he adjusted his new uniform and grabbed his phone. "Third year, huh?" He said as he read the message sent by Kakashi.

He ran all the small details of the mission over in his head as he looked for any last minute changes to be made. Having finished almost all of the tasks here, which included feeding Asia and himself, the breakfast and making sure that the girl had anything and everything she needed while he was at the academy, he was completely ready to head out and commence his mission.

He pocketed his cellphone and walked out of his room. Climbing down the stairs, he smiled as his his eyes landed upon the nun, "Having fun, I suppose?"

Asia, now wearing a sundress, looked up from her book. "Oh, Naruto-san!"

"So, is it any good?"

Asia nodded with a smile of her own. "It's a very good book!"

Naruto smiled as the girl went in a very animated explanation of the book, or rather of how much and what all she had read in the book.

"I know, Asia. I've read it" He hurriedly stopped the girl, while laughing lightly at her antics. He, then, looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "But, I'm surprised that you found it _that_ interesting. If you ask me, I'd say it's a good book, but for little kids." He looked sharply at the book for a brief moment, with an unreadable expression and his smile vanished. "It's not as if that world works the way it does in this book." Then, he looked back at Asia as his smile returned. "Well then, I should go. Wouldn't want to be late on my first day."

Asia nodded at that. He had told her earlier in the morning that he would be starting school from today. Although, she was not entirely happy with being left alone for the day, she did not voice her displeasure.

"I'll be taking my leave now, little princess!" Naruto told her. "Remember, the kitchen is just a step away, so go wild if you feel the need to. There's the TV, if you get bored of the book." His eyes stayed on the blonde girl's face all the while, as he told her that. Asia was looking away from him, towards the floor and nodding mindlessly at his words. Not only that, but, she also had the expression similar to the one from earlier this morning, when she had thought he left her.

The blond, though, did not say anything about it. "Bye, little princess!" He said with a cheery smile and a wave, as started walking towards the door.

"Have a nice day, Naruto-san!"

Asia stared at the blonde's back with a slightly disappointed expression. She wanted him to stay with her and had been silently hoping he would cancel his plans at the last minute, but it was not meant to happen. She knew that she was being selfish here, with her desire to keep Naruto to herself, but she could not care less.

"Hey, Asia?"

"Huh?" She blinked, cut off from her thoughts as she looked at the smiling face of Naruto. "Yes?"

Naruto, with his hand on the doorknob, regarded the girl with a smile that hid something. "While I'm gone, why don't you give going to school with me a thought." With that, he was gone, locking the door behind him.

Asia stared at the empty spot at large double door, a surprised look on her face. Her eyes widened considerably as the blond's words set in. "…!" A large smile appeared on her face, replacing her small frown.

She turned back to her book. "Oh! I forgot to ask him about the main character!" She started reading again, from where she had left off. "The tale of the utterly gutsy sage… "

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

Blue eyes calmly regarded the bunch in front of them. "My name is Naruto Namikaze. Pleased to meet you all."

Naruto smiled, "Please take care of me." He finished with a bow. Standing up straight, his eyes discretely roamed all over the various types of attra- er, teenagers that were his classmates. Briefly, his eyes stopped over two of them, particularly.

"Please go and take that empty seat, there, Namikaze-san." The teacher politely said and he was quick to comply.

As he sat down and completely ignored the murmurs of some of the students, he eyed the girl sitting at seat towards his left. _Lucifer's sister, huh… How convenient._ His eyes turned to the other girl, sitting farther in the front and in the opposite direction of the redhead. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, as he stared at the back of her head. _A hybrid? Really?_ He could not believe his luck. While not unheard of, hybrids were rare. Rightfully so. The three factions were not on friendly terms with each other to begin with. So, they would not go creating mix breeds with someone they did not particularly like.

Though, there were certain cases about hybrids here and there, but they were swiftly dealt with.

The blond had sensed her while he had entered the school premises. Now, he had confirmed it. The girl was a fallen angel-devil hybrid. A reincarnated one.

It was a unspoken rule that creating hybrids of any faction was a crime. Minorities such as werewolves, vampires or some other creatures were exception, but even then, were reincarnated rarely. Humans, unfortunately, were not included in that. If a faction desired to replenish their numbers, they were free to use humans. Humans were livestock, used as desired.

His eyes hardened at that. _This girl must be a member of the Gremory' or the Sitri' peerage. No wonder she has that kind of protection._ There was not any other way. _Her fallen energy is well hidden._ It was just that his sensory ability was levels above others, so he was able to sense her from afar.

He had only met one other fallen angel-devil hybrid. She had not survived their meeting. _The girl still holds a very special place in my heart. I wonder how long this one lives._ He smiled at that. They do say you never forget your first time.

Suddenly, he looked away from the hybrid and opened his book. He could feel most of the class staring at him as he 'ogled their Akeno-san'. Even the Gremory girl and that Akeno girl had turned back to look at him. The former with a raised eyebrow and the latter with a smirk. _I am really starting to dislike my new class. Oh well, I never liked them, to begin with._

There was a reason why he usually did assassination missions instead of infiltration and espionage ones.

"Class! Please try and solve this!" Their teacher bellowed.

Naruto was thankful for that. Everybody had started to mind their own business, now. Though, his eye twitched a little at some of the fleeting glares that he received from some… passionate students.

He shook his head and focused on the main issue, which was the fallen angel Raynare. Earlier, his search for a fallen' presence had yielded zero results. It was like she had vanished in thin air _… Or she never was here in the first place. Could it be…_ It was a plausible thought, that Raynare had already gotten what she had come here for in the first place. She could have already killed the kid and taken their sacred gear. But still, it was impossible to know without seeing it firsthand. This place was brimming with sacred gear welders. _Come to think of it, this whole town is like a mine of sacred gear users and most of them are already reincarnated devils._ A tiny grin appeared on his face. _Clever devils…_

But, his grin vanished as soon as it came, replaced by a small frown, as he grew a little serious. It seemed that his lax attitude had caused him a problem. If he had started his mission yesterday itself, then he would have caught Raynare. But now, the fallen was, very possibly, out of his grasp.

He snorted at that, getting looks from the two-three students in his direct vicinity.

 _She could have been already disposed off by the Gremory or the Sitri. I cannot rule that out._ He closed his book and laid his his down on the desk, intending to think about the situation he was in presently and how to act on it. _Something is definitely wrong with all of this._

Those who sat near him, gaped at this display. They started commenting on how the new guy was openly sleeping in the class and does not have any decency. But, Naruto was too busy care. His mind was creating a new course of action due to the recent development. By going to sleep.

Minutes turned into hours as they passed by, while the blond haired teen slept in his seat like a rock, occasionally adjusting his position. No one had woken him up and it was not due to the lack of trying. He _really_ slept like a rock. After a while of trying and failing to rouse him from his slumber, everyone, even the teachers, had ignored him.

It was when the bell for the lunch time rang, the teen woke up, as if an alarm had gone off inside his head.

"Well, that was some good strategic assessment!" He declared cheerfully as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, surprising as well as scaring a few people near him, with his sudden outburst. His smile widened and his eyes shined as he caught glimpse of red. Looking up, he smiled politely. "Yes?"

Rias and Akeno, both smiled in return. "Naruto-san, what it? My name is Rias Gremory and this, here…" She gestured to her queen. "…is my dear friend, Akeno Himejima. We're pleased to meet you." The yamato nadeshiko greeted him with a nod and her smile turned slightly mischievous when their eyes met.

Naruto stood up and addressed them both with a smile of his own. "The pleasure is all mine." A dangerous glint entered his eyes, as his and the Gremory heiress' eyes met.

Rias, to her credit, did not show any outward reaction. But, she did not like the way, the blond was looking at her.

Akeno, who had yet to speak a word, sensed her king' discomfort, no matter how slight it may have be. "Ara, Naruto-san, you were staring pretty intensely me, earlier this morning." She gasped. "Could it be that you wanted to do some _unspeakable_ things to me?"

Rais looked at her best friend with an amused expression and a raised eyebrow. Akeno _never_ teased someone this early meeting them.

"Who know…" Naruto smiled. "Could it be that you want me to do unspeakable things to you?"

"Oh my! I didn't know we had such a diabolical person joining us today." She faked concern.

"You haven't began to see just how diabolical I am." Naruto replied.

Everyone else that was still present in the room, made their way towards the three of them. Something which the blond noted with distaste. He really was not up for befriending anyone in here.

Rais and Akeno, both silently observed as their new classmate' eyes narrowed a bit as people came towards them.

"Did you ladies wanted to talk about something…" He asked with a bored look. "'cause if that was all, then I'll be going. I don't have any more time to waste." With hands in pocket, he walked away and out of the classroom.

An open mouthed Akeno and a silently fuming Rias stared at the empty space where the blond stood at, seconds ago.

"Ara. He is an unusual one." Akeno said with a smile, that seemed a bit forced but also had a certain amount of amusement in it. She turned to her King. "Wouldn't you s-… Rias?"

The Gremory heiress was staring at the exit with eyes that held anything but amusement. Her face expressed disbelief and displeasure. "Such a rude one, that person…" She spoke under her breathe. "Akeno, let's go. We've already wasted our time." Without even turning to address her friend, she calmly walked out of the room, herself.

Smiling in amusement, this time at her friend, though, Akeno followed. "Looks like things are going to get much interesting with our new classmate, from now on." Trailing behind her king, she left the room and also left behind all the other students, who stood there, with various degrees of shock at the recent happening.

"Rias! Wait, Rias!" Akeno caught up to her friend, who was marching away without the care of the world and it was quite a surprising sight for everyone to see their onee-sama so angry in… ever.

The Gremory queen did not say a word to her friend while they were in the hallway, with others around. Instead, she just matched her king's hurried pace until they were outside the school building.

They did not take notice of a certain figure that observed them as they disappeared into the old school building.

Barging into her clubroom, the redhead headed straight to her desk and wordlessly slumped down in her seat. Her eyes were closed and a small scowl was present on her face.

The two others, who were already present in the room, saw all that happen with varying degrees of confusion evident on their faces. They saw Akeno enter afterwards at her own pace and greeted her.

Akeno returned the greeting with a warm smile, which was replaced with small frown as she turned to Rias. Calmly, she went to her king and laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Rias…?"

The Gremory heiress opened her eyes and sat up straight when she realised that she was not alone in the alone in the room. "… nothing, really." She replied, trying to dismiss her friend's concern.

Akeno smiled knowingly. "Alright." She looked at the two other occupants of the room; Koneko and Kiba.

"Um, we're done here, I think." The Gremory knight said as he closed his bento and tried to get out hurriedly.

Koneko nodded and followed the knight.

"Wait." Rias said calmly. Her head rested on her intertwined fingers and had an upset look on her face.

Her knight and rook did not need to be told twice. Swiftly turning back, they went and sat where they had been sitting until a few seconds ago.

Looking at her queen through the corner of her eyes, she could not help but smile. "Nothing escapes you, does it?"

"Even a very dense person would've known that you were upset, from the tantrum you threw at the way here." Akeno said with a lopsided smile. Then, her face turned serious. "But, really Rias. I don't understand why you behaved earlier like the way you did." Her eyes met her king's blue-green ones, searching for answers. "I know you and I KNOW that it takes a lot more than simple arrogance to rile you up. So, mind telling me what really happened?" Kiba and Koneko listened with concern evident on their faces. Even the usually stoic rook was, now showing signs of worry and confusion about her king.

Rias averted her eyes. "It's nothing." She said in a small voice.

"Rias…" Akeno pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look, Kiba-kun and even Koneko-chan are worried for you. They've even stopped eating."

The Gremory heiress looked at her other two friends. True to what Akeno said, they were looking at the redhead with a mixture of confusion and worry, concerned about her well-being. Koneko was even bitting her lower lip and her eyes were getting watery by the minute. The little rook was about to cry.

"Okay! I'll tell you." Rias finally cried out with resignation present in her voice. Her fragile heart was unable to take on her friends', especially Koneko', emotional onslaught any longer.

"Very good." Akeno said with a triumphant and smug look, which was mirrored by Kiba and Koneko.

The king pouted, "You devils."

"Now, Now." Akeno patted his king's head, grinning as she did so. Turning serious once again, she removed her hand and folded both of them under her impressive bust. "What really happened at that time with Naruto-san, Rias?"

Rias hesitated. She did not want anyone to see her as weak. She wanted to be a strong king for her peerage. She wanted to be someone who could take anything head-on and lead her peerage with a straight and proud back. She did not want to a weak person who would get her family and friends in trouble because of her actions.

 _But, I really wouldn't be strong if I didn't confide in my friends._ She thought. She knew that by dragging this on, she was making them even more worried. She knew that they would not relent until they knew what was troubling her. Relaxing back into her chair with her hands on her lap, she started. "That boy, Naruto Namikaze… he's really different from others." She turned her neck to look at her queen with half-lidded eyes. "You mustn't have realised it, but I did the moment our eyes met."

Akeno raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand it, Rias. Yeah, he is different from rest of the boys in our school, with that air of confidence around him and for the fact that he didn't start worshipping us or stuttering the moment he saw us. But, tha-…" Her eyes widened ever so slightly, as she remembered something. "Come to think of it… I also felt something similar in the morning, when I turned around and saw him staring at me from behind, in his seat. Earlier, I had dismissed it as the awed or lustfilled look that people give me… but now that I think about it…" Akeno closed her eyes and tried to remember the exact feeling she got from her blonde haired classmate. She did not need to try hard. Her eyes open and narrowed, "Yes… it felt different… the way that he stared at me. It was as if he was staring at a _thing_ rather than a person." Akeno shook her head. "No… it wasn't exactly like that. It was like… like… the look a scientist gives to an… experiment…" Her mouth parted open slightly as she said the last word. She did not want to think about the meaning of her own words. Could it be…?

Now, it was Rias' turn to look at her best friend with worry. She took Akeno' hand in her own as squeezed in gently and gave her a smile filled with affection and reassurance. "I got a similar feeling when Naruto and I looked at each. It was as if he was looking at someone lower than him." Her free hand tightened into a fist. It was just like the look that many others gave her. With Riser, the feeling was of being looked down upon and being treated as a piece of meat, or better yet, as some kind of a trophy. With her classmates and most others in the school, the feeling was of being looked at like some kind of goddess, like someone to be worshipped With many other devils, the feeling was of being looked at as nothing more than an heiress to one of the remaining pillar families. She did not want to be looked down upon, but she did not want to be looked up to as a Goddess either. She just wanted to be treated as normal.

But that boy, Naruto Namikaze, gave her a look that was similar but held a completely different meaning. Her brows furrowed. "As if we weren't equals… As if… we were a predator and it's … prey…?" The redhead shook her head. "No. I'm thinking too much."

"Um, buchou." Kiba Yuuto, the Gremory heiress' knight, spoke after have listened silently for so long. "Who exactly is this Naruto that you're speaking of?"

Rias looked at her knight and noticed the confused look that he sported on his face. She, then looked at her rook and the little girl too, was confused, although her face did not held that same amount as Yuuto. "Oh, forgive me. Naruto Namikaze is our classmate and a transfer student. Today was his first day."

Kiba nodded. "Do you know where did he study before joining here?"

"No."

The Prince of Kuoh went in a deep thought. His eyes narrowed as a sudden but dangerous thought came to his mind. Looking at his king, he voiced it. "Could it be that he is a fallen angel… or an angel…?"

Rias, Akeno and even Koneko' eyes widened at that. The little rook, who was until now nibbling at a piece of sweet, was now looking at Yuuto with such expressions that were even out of place for her.

"Another one?" Rais spoke with a suspicious look. "Wasn't Raynare's attack on Issei only two days ago. I doubt that they would send someone so soon."

"But, this is like the perfect opportunity for them." Yuuto argued. "Raynare did not take his sacred gear, but just killed him. Now that he's been resurrected as a devil, maybe they want to take his sacred gear from him. They must've know that he had become a devil, from his run in with that fallen angel, yesterday."

"No… it couldn't be." Akeno spoke and beat Rias to it. "He didn't feel like either of them. We know because we stood a step away from him and he did not feel like any kind of supernatural. He is a human." She looked at Rias. "He possibly cannot be an angel because Rias, being a high-class pure blooded devil, would have felt his power even if he was suppressing it."

Rias nodded at that. "Akeno is right. Naruto is just a human. I did not feel even a shred of supernatural in him."

Kiba smiled. "Then, we can all agree that he is just-"

"An arrogant jerk?" Rias interjected.

"Er… I was going to say human. But, whatever you say buchou."

Koneko nodded. "It's over." Then, she went back to finishing her sweet.

Akeno hid her mouth behind her sleeve and laughed. "Ara, aren't you getting a little infatuated with Naruto-kun, buchou."

Rias faked a puke. "As if!" She sent her best friend a stink eye.

Akeno was not quite finished. "But, you do have to admit that he is really handsome."

This time, Rias really felt bile rise to her throat and everyone, either openly laughed or quietly giggled at that.

Then, the Gremory heiress cleared her throat and the laughter ceased instantaneously. "Nevertheless, Issei Hyoudou-kun is now a part of my peerage and by extension, the Gremory family. If anyone tries to lay a finger on him, they would have to go through me and my family, first." She said with absolute conviction and gained the nods of her friends and peerage members.

 _How very interesting._ Naruto smiled in satisfaction as he stood outside the clubroom and eavesdropped on the Gremory heiress and her peerage. _Issei Hyoudou, huh._

Kiba' eyes narrowed suddenly as a certain feeling invaded his senses. Silently, he raised a hand and everyone else in the room, stopped what they were doing. The Gremory knight pointed towards the door.

"Buchou, what about Issei-kun' progress? Surely, you would want him to be able to fight soon…" As he spoke, he stealthily neared the closed door. He was not going to let the person get even the slightest whiff of them being suspicious. So, he engaged in conversation instead of going quiet.

Rias, understanding what her knight was trying to do, played on. "Yes. That's true, but I do want him to fully settle down as a devil, first."

With his hand on the doorknob, he looked at everyone else and nodded. "Then…" In a moment, the door was yanked open by the knight. "What…?" He stepped out, to get a clear look at the _empty_ hallway. "There's no one…?" He asked to himself, but everyone heard it.

Akeno walked to the knight, who was now sporting a stupefied expression. As she stood in the hallway, she found it to be empty with the exception of Yuuto and herself. She knew that _if_ someone were spying on them, they could not have even gotten away in the time it took for the Gremory knight to open the door and go out. She knew so because Kiba was fast, _really_ fast. His position as a knight guaranteed so.

The Gremory queen placed a hand on the knight' shoulder. "Maybe it's _you_ who's thinking too much now." She laughed a little, trying to lift up the tense atmosphere.

Yuuto stared at the nothing in particular with eyes narrowed in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. He did feel something earlier. Like someone or something was present there, listening to their conversation, spying on them. But, now that he thought about it, the possibility of someone spying on them was very unlikely. Akeno-san would have detected any supernatural presence long before it could have even entered the old school building. That strong of a sensor was the Gremory queen.

The Prince of Kuoh shook his head. "Maybe I _am_ thinking too much." He said as he laughed at himself.

Rias mood turned a bit sour. She knew that it was her fault for turning things to their present condition. If only she had not brought up this topic. If only she had restrained her emotions a little better. Then, she would not have roused up such a tense atmosphere. It was because of her own actions, that her friends had become so worried.

 _No._ The Gremory heiress thought to herself. _It's because of that horrible person, Naruto Namikaze._ She could not blame herself for something she was not the cause of. She could not blame herself for her friends' worry towards her. It was all her new classmate' fault _._ It was rare for her to dislike a person and even rarer to hate them. But, the blond haired teen had made a special place in her heart, in that context. She was sure that if he continued to be as detestable as he already was, then her dislike for him would soon change into open hatred. It was the blond teen who was the root cause of her bad temper, in the first place.

Putting on a smile, now that she was not beating herself up anymore, the Gremory heiress addressed her peerage. "The lunch break's long over and it's already time for club activities. So, let's get started, shall we?" She turned to her knight. "Yuuto, would you bring Issei here?"

Wordlessly, the knight walked away, knowing where to exactly search for their newest comrade.

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

_That Gremory has quite an assorted peerage._ Naruto thought as he made his way amongst the number of students going to their various clubs. Earlier, he had shot an arrow in the dark and it had hit the desired mark. In fact, he had gotten more information than he had originally expected. Upon learning of the sacred gear user's identity, a part of him wanted to see him firsthand. But, Raynare was his priority.

Even though, he had been late on catching the fallen angel, he knew she was still in this town because of Asia's arrival, the previous day. He now only had to lure out Raynare and he knew plenty of methods to do so.

For now, he had to select a club to join. He had been told in the morning that he could join a club, if he desired to. He knew that he was not going to so. But, who said that he could not just look? He had no qualms with testing the waters.

His eyes filled interest as arrived at his destination. The kendo club.

But, he had to raise an eyebrow at what was going on, in the said club. "Well, they really are going at it." As he walked inside, the pained cries of some males and the furious roars of many females, intensified. What was going on was that the members of kendo club, all females, were mercilessly beating up three boys because of being molested or so by the said three boys… Or so he deduced. _Who knows, the kendo club is full of sadistic women who especially get a kick out of beating wimpy looking guys. … Nah! I think too much._

Deciding to end it, he stepped closer and cleared his throat. The small sound was enough to overcome and putting a cease to the unnecessary shouting and the righteous beat down.

A girl, presumably the captain of the club, looked at him with an annoyed expression. "What!?" She, all but asked calmly.

Naruto guessed that the girl was annoyed because of being interrupted during delivering her kill-shot. Her shinai, which was stopped in place at mid-swing and aimed for one of the boys' crotch, justified that. "I want to join this club." He smiled.

The captain looked at him with even more annoyance. "This is an all girls club."

His smile widened. "Says who? Sensei said that I was free to join _any_ club."

"Are you stupid? This club is know as the _Girl's_ kendo club for a reason." The girl said haughtily. "There are no boys allowed in this club."

Naruto tilted his head, "I take it that these three were peeping on you all while changing." He easily changed the subject. Seeing all of the girls' expression become even angrier, he continued. "May I suggest a punishment befitting them…?" His smile widened when the girls perked up in interest. Like an opportunistic salesman, he sauntered over to the captain.

The blond teen gave the whimpering boys, who were laying on the ground, a smile.

The boys whimpered harder as they saw the blond teen give them a smile that promised a whole new world of pain.

Naruto's eyes turned hard for a split second, as he gazed at one of the three perverts. _Another sacred gear using devil…?._ He looked at the captain. "I suggest castration." He said nonchalantly.

 **"EHH!?** " This was the collective shout of everyone except the blond haired teen.

"What?" He said with a raised eyebrow. "You all look like a told you to kill them." He gestured to the three perverts, who were giving him the best glares they could muster, despite shaking with fear.

The captain looked at him with an embarrassed blush. "D-Don't go saying something like this so casually!"

"What thing? Killing them or castrating them?"

"Both!"

He looked at the three perverts. Then, he looked back at the girl. "You do want to castrate them, or not?"

"Absolutely not!"

The three perverts appeared to be really thankful to the captain. Though, they gave the blond a hateful glare when he looked at them.

He looked at her like she was a lunatic. "You know, unless you punish them severely, they'll just keep coming back to peep on you all." Suddenly, his expression changed and was replaced by an accusing one. "… Unless you want them to keep coming back and peep on you all so you can catch them and _punish_ them?"

The captain, now blushing even more, stepped back, horrified at the implications. "W-What are y-you saying!?"

Naruto smiled, "Oh, you know exactly what I'm saying…" He leaned in closer. "… little miss closet sadist." He whispered, so only she was the one who heard him.

"W-What?!" She cried in mortified.

Her girlfriends stepped closer to her, fear and hesitation evident in their stance. There was also anger, directed at the blond who something horrible to make their senpai so flustered.

The captain looked at Naruto with venom, when she regained her bearings. "How dare you insinuate something so disgusting! Who do you think you are! Barging in li-… Kiba-kun?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. The girl, who was until now looking at him with contempt, was now looking _behind_ him as she went off, mind rant.

"Hello, Kasen-chan. All well, I presume."

"Y-yeah…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the girl, who now was being oddly shy and submissive. It was not just her, but every other girl of the kendo club. He felt a presence behind him. A presence that made him narrow his eyes. _That voice…! It's the guy from her peerage._ It was not a coincidence. This was definitely the Gremory heiress' servant, Yuuto Kiba. The presence of the sacred gear inside him signified that.

"Well, hello there!" Naruto turned swiftly and greeted the devil, face-to-face. His eyes were closed and he had a big smile on his face.

Kiba was slightly taken aback by the easygoing and energetic tone of the person in front of him. "Um, hello…?" The knight of Gremory looked at his fellow blond with an uncertain expression. "I don't think I've seen you here before…"

Naruto opened his eyes to get a look at the Gremory heiress' servant. To his credit, he did not flinch. _Oh…_ His smile shortened considerably. Something, that did not go unnoticed by the devil. "I'm new. Name's Naruto."

As if he had been struck by lightening, Yuuto realised who exactly was the person that stood before him. "Oh, you must be in Rias-senpai' class. I've heard about you." The knight's cold eyes looked straight at the blond haired teen.

Naruto matched his cold eyes with his dull ones. "I'm sure you have." His eyes shined. "But, do tell me how?"

Yuuto opened his mouth to speak, but Kasen beat him to it. "He's a member of the Occult Research Club and Rias-san is the president."

"Yes." Kiba nodded. "You see, for that matter, I have come to collect Hyoudou-kun from your care." He looked for a second at the aforementioned boy, who was crying in joy.

"Kiba! Save me! This bastard wants to chop my dick off!" Issei pointed accusingly at the taller blond.

Naruto looked at him with narrowed eyes. _This boy is Issei Hyoudou, Raynare's target?_ He turned to look at the knight. "My apologies. Hyoudou-san won't be able to join your group today."

"Why?" Kiba's expression was now turning sore. _Buchou was right about this Naruto guy. What a pain!_

Naruto replied, "His punishment for being a pervert is still pending." He smiled.

"Oh, that won't be nece-" The captain tried to speak, but was cut off when Naruto raised his hand and silenced her.

"Or…" The blond started. "… you can fight for him in a kendo match against me. If you win…" He left it hanging.

Yuuto looked at the taller blond like he was a nuisance. Which he was, if the swordsman said so himself. The Prince of Kuoh looked at the kendo club Captain, "Is this really necessary, Kasen-chan …?" He gave her a charming smile.

Before she could even open her mouth, Naruto appeared by her side. Leaning towards her, he whispered. "Think about it this way. You get to see Yuuto Kiba, _the_ Yuuto Kiba fight to save his _precious_ comrade. Think about his sweaty, flushed and panting face as he duels against me, just for the sake of saving his Hyoudou- _kun_. If you let this opportunity slide away, then you will regret it later." Just like a certain snake who tempted a woman to eat the forbidden fruit, the blond tempted the girl. To his satisfaction, it worked.

Kasen's eyes had glazed over and a light blush had appeared on her cheeks, as the blond planted the seed of temptation. Then, she looked at Yuuto with a not-so-innocent but serious expression. "Yes, it is."

Naruto turned to look at the Knight with a charming smile of his own. "You heard her."

Yuuto just nodded. He did not show it, but he was angry. Usually, he came and took Issei with him, no questions asked. But, this time, he was unable to do so, all because of the person who stood in front of him. This boy, Naruto Namikaze, was a real pain in the backside. From what he had heard from Rias, this person was not a pleasant one. Now, he shared his king's opinion. The knight knew that his strength and speed as a devil, far surpassed the human's. _Might as well beat him up good for the way he treated buchou._ "Okay, let's do this."

"Good." Naruto smiled. "Pick a shinai, then." He said and took one wooden sword from one of the members, seeing they had stopped beating up the perverts and had no need of their shinai, for the time being.

Kasen took the opportunity to speak, "Just so you know, Kiba-kun is an expert in swordsmanship." She gloated to the blond.

Naruto looked at her with a smile, "Excellent."

Everyone; the members of the kendo club and the perverted trio, gathered together at the sideline and watched as the two blond haired teens stood across from one another, ready to commence the match.

Kasen, acting as the referee, stood in the middle. Glancing to her left, she saw Yuuto standing in a traditional stance as he held the shinai firmly in both hands. She blushed when she saw the look of cold determination on the Prince of Kuoh's face. She, then, looked to her right and was angered by what she saw.

There, stood Naruto. One hand in his pocket and with the other, he casually held his shinai. His face held a grin. "Hey, can we start soon? I bet Yuuto-san is really _desperate_ to save his Hyoudou-san."

"Oi! Who are you calling 'his'?!" Issei shouted over from the sidelines.

Coughing slightly, the Kendo club Captain raised her hand. Then, brought it down. "Hajime!" With that, she rapidly backed away.

Naruto was the first one to make a move. He rushed towards the Gremory' knight, hurriedly and wildly as he did so.

Yuuto looked on with an impassive gaze, as his opponent ran towards him. Being a devil meant that his senses were much sharper than a human and he had speed on his side, due to being a knight at that. _This will be over in an instant._ He thought as he raised his shinai in front of himself, a second before his opponent brought down their weapon.

The Knight had blocked the incoming sword with his own, quite easily so. "Weak." He whispered to his opponent. His face looked dull, but had a coldness.

Naruto's smile did not vanish. He pushed against the devil's shinai.

Yuuto did not budge even an inch. The level of strength the human was displaying, was pitiful even by human standards. There was not a single scenario that played out in the new guy's favour. Deciding to end it, the Gremory heiress' knight parried his opponent's sword and with a quick reflex, struck a hit to the blond's side. With hidden satisfaction, he watched as the Namikaze, affected by the strong hit, fell to the ground a couple feet away.

Everyone else saw the display, some cringed and some cheered for the knight.

Kasen looked at the it with narrowed eyes and a conflicted expression. The finesse with which Kiba had executed it was truly commendable. But, being versed in the art of kendo better than any of her clubmates, she saw something no one else did. She saw the hidden brutality, present in her classmate's attack. To an untrained eye, the finishing move would have appeared to be _just_ a precise one. But, it was much more… _But, why…? Why would Kiba-kun…_

"Kasen-chan, I suggest you end this match." Yuuto said, eyes on the downed blond. Turning away, he started walking. "Issei-kun, come with me." He said with even looking at the boy.

The captain hesitantly walked forward and raised her hand. "The wi-" Words were caught in her throat as she saw something that left her wide eyed.

"You think it's over just 'cause you manage to land a hit? How arrogant!"

Kiba stopped in his track when he heard the gloating voice of his opponent. Narrowed eyed, he turned back and looked at the Namikaze. "You…"

Naruto, who was standing straight with a smile, pointed his shinai at the knight. "C'mon now. We don't have the whole day. Now, be a nice knight and save your princess."

Yuuto just took his stance once again. This time, his grip on the weapon was tighter. He did not know how or why was the blond third year even standing, instead of lying on the ground and writhing in pain, from the hit. But, this time he was going to make sure that his opponent stayed on the ground.

Once again, the captain announced to proceed and it did. This time, though, the two blond went at it longer than the last time. The newcomer was able to hold off pretty well against the Prince of Kuoh, everyone watched. Even Kasen had thought at a point, that if not for the new guy's lack of a fighting style, he would have been seen as a trained fighter.

 _He just attacks and blocks, whenever he can._ The captain of the club, looked on with a raised eyebrow. Then, a smirk found its way to her face. _But, a fight is just about attacking and defending._

She watched as the taller blond continued his onslaught on her classmate, with a thin smile on his face, as he did so. On the other hand, Yuuto blocked all the strikes successfully, with a calm expression on his face and a calculating look in his eyes.

The Gremory heiress' knight' mind was not in the fight. He was just going through the motions, while waiting for the precise moment to strike. _His strength has increased. He's pushing me back now and it's not just his strength, it's his speed too… Nonetheless, it isn't much, just the adrenaline acting up. Nothing, unusual._ The devil engaged his opponent, parrying strikes unflinchingly. _Now!_ He thought as he saw at tiny, yet sufficient opening. Swinging the wooden sword, he hit the third year in the same place that he had hit before.

Everyone else watched as the Namikaze, yet again, hit the ground. What they saw, was that it had played out exactly like the last time. Even the hit had been exactly on the side, like the last time. Some could even swear that they heard a slight cracking sound, when the shinai had hit it's mark.

Kasen looked at her classmate with shock. Was this really the Kiba-kun, who she was friends with?

Yuuto's eyes never left the downed teen. He had put a good amount of his strength; which was far superior than a human's, in his strike. The Namikaze was down for sure this time. The third year was lying motionlessly on the floor, his chest barely moving and his eyes closed shut.

Many thought of the worst. Everyone was silent.

Then, the thick curtain of silence was pierced by laughter.

Yuuto looked at the still-downed teen with wide eyes. His being was a whirlpool of emotions. The most glaring of them was disbelief. But, it was not due to the blond teen sitting up, as much as it was due to his sitting up _so_ easily. As if he had not been hit with a wooden sword, seconds before.

Naruto stopped chuckling and wiped a fake tear off, as he stood up. "Oh God! I haven't laughed this hard like in… two days? Yes, two days!" He, especially took pleasure in the pained yelp of Issei Hyoudou and the sudden shaking of Yuuto Kiba. "What? You all thought that I was done for, because he got a hit on me?" He looked at everyone's faces. They were really surprised, if not outright gawking at him. "… never mind." The teen turned to the knight. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Yuuto, still could not believe his eyes. _Just how…_

"I'm still standing, aren't I." Naruto said with a crooked smile. "They do say 'last man standing' for a reason." He signaled with a tilt of head. "Let's continue, the match isn't over."

"No." Kiba declared. "I won't be a part of this… this foolishness. Just stop whatever you're attempting at and save yourself some from any more embarrassment, okay." He still could not understand how the third year could even be standing up at this time. Sure, he had gotten up the first time, but that was just luck. But, to think that he had been _lucky_ the second time, was just absurd. _Just what the hell is he…_

"… attempting at?" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow. Then, he smiled mischievously. "You'll see." Gripping his weapon tightly, he jumped at the blond devil.

Yuuto had a second to react by bringing his shinai above his head and support one part with his others hand, before the third year brought down his own shinai on him. The knight's weapon bent down slightly under the pressure. _What! This strength!_

Naruto smiled, distanced himself from his opponent. He smiled when the knight dashed towards him, shinai ready to strike. Then, he engaged the knight.

Kasen and everyone else watched with interest as the fight seemed to turn itself on it's head. Yuuto Kiba, who was moments ago, besting the blond teen effortlessly, was now unable to even push him back.

The kendo club' captain watched with fascination, as not just the match but the roles of the players, too, interchanged. The one who was earlier close to defeat, was now an inch away from from victory. She knew that this was not some adrenaline boost that was letting the newcomer, fight toe-to-toe against the academy's best swordsman. It was entirely something else.

 _The bastard was playing me!_ Yuuto realised when all of his efforts to land a hit, turned futile. Even with his enhanced strength, he was not able to push the third year back.

Naruto smiled. "Weak." He whispered.

Anger surged through the Gremory Knight. With a newfound intensity, he swung his sword and upon contact, in broke through the human's sword, snapping it into two.

Naruto remained unfazed. With his free hand, he caught Yuuto's own sword and yanked it out of the swordsman's grip. Then, _he_ swung.

"What?!" Everyone shouted. Yuuto being the lowest.

The Gremory knight looked at the fast approaching shinai, heading for his face. Unable to react, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. It was not that he did not have the time to move out of it's trajectory. It was just that he was completely dumbfounded by the earlier move.

"Here you go."

Kiba opened his eyes and looked at the blond teen, who offered him his sword back. He took it.

"I'm bored." Naruto said and dropped his own broken shinai. Slowly, he walked out, leaving behind a stunned audience. "I'll be back tomorrow, Captain." He shouted over his shoulder.

Kasen did not say anything. She had a feeling that the blond haired teen would not listen to her, at all. _It was worth it, though._ She thought as she eyed a slightly panting and sweaty Yuuto Kiba.

As he walked through the hallway, Naruto smiled. _It's fun screwing with everyone else. That Izaiah is also not half bad._

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. _Why's the gate open…_

Naruto stepped in his property, sparing a last glance at the already wide-open gate. With every step that he took, a certain feeling of uneasiness crawler deeper into his heart. With every step that he took, his pace increased.

As he had stood at the main doors, hesitation took hold of him. Shaking his head, he reached for the doorknob and swiftly turned it. "Asia! I'm home!" He shouted out loud as he entered inside, locking the door behind him.

Upon receiving no answer, he rushed to the girl's room. He knocked, "Little princess~! Are you in there?" Silence greeted him. He was, now, anxious and frustrated. A part of him was now fearful. He knew that Asia would not leave just like that. But, the idea of the nun leaving him was frightening, even if it was absurd.

Opening the door, he got the answer. It was empty.

Something really was not right. The main gate had was open and there were no signs of the nun inside the house. Her lack of presence when he tried to sense her, signified that. She was not even in her room. In fact, she was not anywhere in the whole mansion.

As he was walking down the stairs, in a disconnected way and his mind not staying in one place. Something caught his eyes.

Moving to the table, he looked at the book that he had given Asia. Picking up the old and worn out thing, he gave it an idle stare. He sighed and put it back. He had to find the girl and he had no clue where to start looking from.

Then, something clicked in his mind and his eyes widened. "The book was closed!" He grinned. The book was closed. That meant Asia had closed it. The lack of any sign of struggle of any kind inside the house, cemented one particular thing. "She hasn't been taken away! She went away willingly!" Then, as the words left his mouth, his eye twitched. _That idiot! Doesn't she realise there still are Raynare and her allies out there!_

Without further ado, he rushed out of the house. He had a very bad feeling about this. Hopefully, finding Asia in a town filled with sacred gear welders would be easy, now that he knew the girl's energy signature. _Oh yeah! Easy like finding a needle in a haystack!_

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

The sun had completely gone down, now. It was officially night-time.

His search for the blonde girl had led him here and he did not like it one bit. Earlier, he had scouted around some parts of Kuoh, but did not succeed in finding the nun. What bits and pieces he was able to find, though, had led him to this area, this abandoned church.

Abandoned by people.

Abandoned by God.

Abandoned by hope.

This place was some kind of shelter to some fallen angels and stray exorcists. He had sensed that much earlier the day. But now… now he could sense the presence of devils, too. A very specific group of devils.

His eyes narrowed. "Why are the Gremory's group here…? I can sense others, but she and that fallen angel hybrid of her." Not only that, but he could also feel Asia's presence from inside.

He was not surprised at all. That part he had already figured out. Asia had gone to the town and there, had been found by Raynare. "There was a reason why I rented that place, far away from the town." He mumbled. Nevertheless, his priority was to save Asia and then, deal with Raynare.

From his hiding spot in the woods, he saw a limping form and his eyes narrowed menacingly. Deciding not to waste any more time, he started walking towards the person.

"Hey! Who the fuck's there!?"

He ignored it and stepped out from the darkness, in front of that person. "Hello there… Mr. Sellzen." He said in a slow voice.

There stood the stray exorcist, Freed Sellzen, in his all battered and bloodied glory. The said person looked at the blond haired teen with a raised eyebrow, for a few seconds. Then, he burst out laughing. "Oh fuck! You fucking scared me you bloody bitch! Here I thought that those shitty devils had found me and guess how surprised I am when a fucking schoolboy steps out! Hahaha!" He seized laughing when the pain from his wounds shot throughout his body. Then, he looked at the blond haired teen with a suspicious look. "By the way, who the fuck are you and how do you know my name, human?"

Naruto gave him an impassive look. "Were you the one that took Asia?"

"Asia? That nun bitch?" The stray exorcist asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, I would love to take her!" He said lecherously. "Who the fuck are you though, shitty human? Her bodyguard!"

Naruto still looked at him impassively. His azure fixed on the beaten form of Freed. "I… see." He spoke. Then, started walking forward. "It was a good thing that you were rejected when you tried to join the organisation."

Freed gave the boy a look. "What the fuck are you… you… o-organisation…" Words got caught up in his throat as the stray exorcist realised exactly what the person in front of him was saying. "Y-You… are… you're from that fucking organisation?!" He burst out, completely losing control of himself. His face now held fear, rather than the usual insanity. His hands were shaking and his palms were sweaty. But most of all, his eyes held a complete look of disbelief mixed with fear. "Like hell do you belong to _them!_ You're just a fucking pathetic human! I can't even sense a sliver of _any_ kind of energy from you!" He shouted, unwilling to come to terms with what he had just said. Unconsciously, he took a step back with every step the blond teen took forward.

Naruto chuckled lowly, "I don't _belong_ to the organisation, dear Freed." He looked at the stray with shining, azure eyes. "I _am_ the organisation!"

Freed stumbled and fell down on the hard ground. His body screamed at him for being pushed to it's limits. The exorcist cursed. He could not even walk away from this bastard now. "Go away! That bitch is inside the church, Raynare must be done with her by now! You can go and hug her corpse now, you bastard!"

Naruto did not stop. "Oh, I will pay her I visit once I'm done with you." He smiled. "We can't have any loose ends, can we now?"

"Stay away, Goddammit! You shitty, motherfucking son of a bitch!" Freed cursed, while trying to crawl away. If only he had his weapons…

Naruto stopped. "I really have to do something about that dirty mouth of yours." Reaching into his pocket, he smiled. "I know." Then, he went to the downed exorcist and pinned him to the ground by the neck. "Now… What are your thoughts about a 'permanent' smile like the Joker's? … Or better yet…"

Freed screamed, "No! No! Please, I beg **yAAAAH**!"

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

Everyone in the area; whether it were Raynare, Asia, Issei and the dozens of stray exorcists inside the church or the injured Yuuto and Koneko, heard the blood-curdling scream of a certain foul mouthed exorcist and had to momentarily stop what they were doing.

Even the Gremory heiress and her Queen, both of whom had just entered the area, were stunned by the horrifying scream.

They all wondered exactly who were screaming and what had caused them to do so.

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

"Wow." The blonde haired teen spoke. "He's passed out but alive. Have to hand it to you, Freed. Many die from the shock alone… Or so they say in the books. Truth to be told, it was my first time doing something so… artistic. Well, it was fun playing with you!" Without admiring his handiwork, he turned and dashed away. "Let's do this again, Freed!" He shouted out over his shoulder.

Silently, he ran through the woods, obscured from everyone's eyes by the thick canopy. In seconds, he reached the church. "What do we have here…" With narrowed eyes, he observed someone perched on the roof of the church, while he hid behind a tree. "Another high-class devil, huh."

Stealthily, he climbed on top of the partially broken roof and landed near the devil. "Hello there." He greeted with a cheery wave.

The aristocratic devil looked at his briefly, from the corner of his eyes. Then, he turned back to view the commotion that was going on inside. Dismissing the blond as if he was some kind of nuisance. "Are you with Rias, human?" He asked without even turning to look at the blond haired teen.

Naruto gave the devil a good look. The dark green haired teen, dressed in expensive robes, and exuded an aura of importance and nobility. This devil was an heir of one of the pillar families. Not just any pillar, at that. "You're Diodora Astaroth, aren't you…" It was not a question.

"That's Lord Astaroth to you, imbecile." The now identified Diodora responded sharply. He glared at the human from the corner of his eye. "I can end you pathetic little life here, human. I don't care if you're the Gremory' pet."

Naruto bowed down, his face obscured from the devil's view. "My apologies, Lord Astaroth. Please forgive this impudent servant of Lady Rias." He said, while smirking. Standing up straight, he smiled slyly at the devil, who still was looking at the beat that Issei Hyoudou was receiving at the hands of stray exorcists.

From the corner of his eyes, Naruto looked at Asia, who was tied to the crucifix and Raynare, who stood by it and was looking at the Gremory's servant with a cruel smirk. The blond teen looked at the Astaroth heir. _I'll have to make this quick._ "You… you are here for the nun, aren't you?" He not as much as asked, than said.

This time, though, Diodora did look at him. The green haired devil turned completely and stood facing towards the blond haired teen. "What are you talking about…"

Naruto smirked, "Oh, don't be like that. I know your little game inside out." He stepped closer to the devil. "I've heard all about your nun fetish. Of how you appear in front of them like a wounded puppy and when they help you, you reveal to them the fact that you are a devil… And when they are banished by the church, you come to their aid… lending them a helping hand like a run-of-the-mill knight in shining armour, huh." His smirk widened. "Then, the nuns, with nowhere to go, take the only option left. They become a part of your peerage and in turn, become your loyal slaves." His shining blue eyes met the glaring orange ones of the Astaroth heir.

"You…" Diodora said in a low voice. "How do you know about that…? The fact that you not only found me even though I suppressed my power to the minimum, but also the ease with you deduced my plan… Just who are you, human? I know that you are not a normal human or the Gremory' servant. No one… the fallen angels, the strays, the devils… no one had even sensed me until now. But you… your standing in front of me, itself is a testament that you're not someone ordinary." His eyes roamed over the uniform clad boy.

Naruto smiled. "You give me too much credit." His smile widened. "Or maybe you think too much of yourself." He stepped closer to the Astaroth.

"Do not forget who are you talking to, human!" Diodora warned. "You are inferior to devils and to someone like me, your existence is beneath the sole of my shoe. So, I will not hesitate to crush you like the insect you are. Understand."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "See. You do think too highly of yourself." Then, without another word, he reached for the devil. Grabbing the Astaroth heir by the neck, the blond teen lifted him up and threw him into the woods. Gravity also played it's part and brought the devil down crashing into a tree.

Diodora coughed hard. _What did just happen?! I didn't even see him move!_ The fall did not hurt him that much due to being a high-class devils. On shaky legs, he stood up and brought one hand to the tree he had crashed into, to support himself. He examined his state and found that his clothes were torn up in many places and his face had some light scratches.

Angrily, he removed a twig wedged in his hair. "That bastard!"

"You called me?" A voice whispered in his ear from behind. Eyes wide, he turned around, ready to face the person that sent him in such a haggard state. "W-What! Where are you!?" He screamed out loud when he found no one behind him.

"Right behind you." The voice whispered again in his ear. The Astaroth heir turned around yet again and caught sight of vibrant blues, before being punched in the face.

He crashed again into the tree from before, yet again. The tall tree shook from the impact, shedding some leaves over the two of them.

Naruto walked towards the Astaroth and stood a couple feet away from him. "You think that people don't know about that nun fetish of yours and what all you did? You think that nobody is smart enough to connect the dots and fill the pieces of the puzzle? About how it was the same person who repeatedly used the same trick to get shit done? About who that person was? Or who were all of your reincarnated peerage members?" The blond snorted. "If you believe that you have hidden anything from anyone, then you are as much dumb and arrogant as your brother is smart."

Diodora weakly stood up. His head hurt, as if been hit by a devil of near his calibre. He touched his lower lip, which now, was swelled up and bleeding. "Why you…"

"Yeah, 'why me'." Naruto said with a crooked smile. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a certain feeling of dread took ahold of his being.

Both, him and the Astaroth, were not prepared when a beam of green light pierced through the night sky. They, momentarily turned to the direction it came from, and both were left shocked for different reasons. "It's coming from the church…"

Diodora, overcoming his shock, managed a weak laugh. "You know what that means… don't you? The girl… her gear has been successfully extracted from her. She's dead…! You came to save her, didn't you? I guessed that much." He spat. "Take pride knowing that you let her die. You let her die by engaging me, instead of which you could have went away and saved her!" He laughed bitterly. "Now I'll have to find another nun and start over again." He said with a slightly disappointed look. "It would have been a completely euphoric experience if I would have been able to make her submit to me willingly. What a waste."

"Why not just turn her into a devil with your evil piece?"

The Astaroth heir looked at the blond with a surprised expression. He was sure the human would have ran away to the church, as soon as he realised that the girl was dead. At the least, the human would have broken down on the spot when his words got to him and he realised that he, himself was the reason the nun died. But, this did not happen and now that the devil looked at the blond teen's face, he did not find the tears and broken expressions, but instead saw a stone cold face that was accompanied by a pair of dull, half-lidded ceruleans.

Deciding to humour him, the devil answered. "I won't waste a piece on her. She basically worthless to me." The Astaroth heir looked up at the dark sky. "You won't understand it… the passion… the thrill! The excitement that I get from making these oh-so-pristine nuns fall to the depths of sin and desire! To give in to temptation!" He turned to look at the human, directly in the eyes. A cruel smile present on his face. "But, do you know the most important part of it all?" A maniacal look entered in his eyes. "It all happens with their own consent!"

Naruto looked at the laughing devil with apathetic eyes. The blond haired teen' face lacked any anger, guilt or resentment. "I… see." He did not feel any anger or resentment towards the Astaroth. He did not feel guilty for being unable to save the innocent girl. He did not feel anything of sort. He felt… numb.

Diodora stood up. His legs felt weak… As if, they would give away at any moment. Giving his swollen lip a tentative lick, he looked at the blond haired teen, "I don't know how you were able to injure me this much, but take pride in knowing that you were able to hurt a devil, before being killed by the devil." Grinning, the Astaroth heir channel some of his power into his arms. It was too little for being noticed by anyone not in the near vicinity, and too much for killing a mere human. "Rias Gremory really knows how to select them. But, too bad for you… you won't be joining her. I can't leave any loose ends." Cocking his right hand back, he threw a punch.

A punch that was fast enough to be a mere blur, and powerful enough to crack a pathetic human's skull.

"So can't I." Naruto said in a low voice, catching the incoming fist in his right hand. His dull eyes locked with the Astaroth's own surprised ones.

"W-What…?" Diodora whispered out, stunned that a human had caught his punch without any effort. He had realised that the boy was no ordinary human, but to think that he caught his fist, much less even see it coming… "… You… You caught it.… How…!?"

Naruto just locked at him with dull, half-lidded eyes. "How, indeed." He placed his other hand on the offending appendage, on the elbow. Then, he pushed.

Diodora screamed. He screamed like he had never before. Tears gathered in his eyes as he felt the excruciating pain of his arm being broken. With a pained cry, he stumbled and fell back, holding his stump of an arm. "Y-You sick bastard!" Through teary eyes, he got a look at his right arm. It was bent at the angle opposite from which it should have been. "I'll kill you! I'll massacre your family!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "The joke's on you…" He, then, started unbuttoning his shirt. "It's time for you to die."

"As if!" Diodora screamed. "I've had enough of this nonsense!" The pain in his arm had lessened by now. His devil heritage was doing it's work. Though, it would be long before his bones mend themselves. "You think you can kill me just like that!" A magic circle, each, formed under and over the Astaroth heir. "I'll be back to get you, you DaAAGHH!"

Naruto glared at the Astaroth, his eyes narrowed to slits. His hand outstretched. "You won't be getting away from me." He said in a low voice.

Diodora, eyes wide in shock and a newfound pain, stared at the knife that was wedged deep into his right shoulder. Shakily, he turned his neck to look at the blond. "W-What…" The human had knives, a whole lot of them, held in sewn columns, in the underside of his shirt.

"Don't worry." Naruto said. "These aren't holy weapons, as you might have guessed. They won't kill you…" He smiled serenely. It really felt out of place. "…not right away." He raised a hand to his face, holding knives between his fingers. "These are my precious switchblades, Venom thirty-three. I never go outside without them." His eyes lingered on the sharp blades. His smiled widened. "Now, let's end this…" With a fling of his wrist, the four blades went soaring at the immobile devil.

Diodora could only watch with horror filled eyes, as the weapons flew towards him until they hit him in various parts. He coughed up blood. He felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. His blood.

The blond haired teen stepped closer to the downed devil and knelt in front of him. "Oh, this one has gone through the ribs and pierced a lung." He said as he examined the depth of all the wounds. He traced a gentle finger over the handle of that particular blade. "Must be painful, huh?" He flicked it and the devil screamed in pain. "Here, let me help you, buddy!" Roughly, he yanked out the blade and jammed it into his thigh. "Here you go!"

Diodora gave a pained cry. He was not even able to shout properly. One of his lung was punctured, both of his arms had blades wedged in them, as did one of his thigh. They were healing, though. But, the pain was unbearable. "You… monster…!" He wheezed out.

"You're welcome." Naruto smiled. Then, he placed his hands on the Astaroth heir's head. "So, beelzebub's little bro… time to sleep."

"No! Please, I beg of you! W-What do you want! Riches? Women? Immortality? You name it, I'll give it to you!" Diodora said hurriedly and desperately. "Please, just don't kill me and you'll have everything you could ever think of! Rias Gremory! How about her? Yes, yes! She'll made a great concubine for you, won't she?!"

Naruto looked at the Astaroth heir with an amused smile and eyes that shone with mirth. _Even the most prideful people are reduced to pathetic mess in the face of death, aren't they…_ "There's nothing you can give me." He caressed the devil's dirt covered cheek. "Now, do me a favour and die."

"No! No! My death will be your death! I'm the heir of the Astaroth family! The brother of Ajuka Beelzebub!"

Naruto smiled, "You know, devils are _very_ selfish creatures. Especially so, when their own lives or reputation is at stake." He giggled. "But, who isn't!" He patted the green haired boy's cheek. "So, believe me when I say that your family or the Beelzebub, will do _nothing_ to me when they find out that their younger son is-er, was a loyal follower of the enemy, Shalba Beelzebub." Naruto's smile widened. "See now, your death won't even be honoured. Your name itself will become a symbol of shame and guilt for your family. A taboo in it's truest sense!"

Diodora stared at the blond haired teen in a mixture of shock and horror. He did not even think of how the human had found out about his connection to one of the leaders of the Old Faction. The Astaroth heir looked at the monster in front him, who had the smile on his face. "M-Mother…" His mother, who doted on him, loved him more than anyone, would be devastated if she knew the truth. "Please, don't tell them."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Why do you care? You'll be long dead by the time they find out." Swiftly, he shoved a switched in each of the devil's eye, piercing the brain.

The blond teen stood up. No longer smiling, he looked at the dead Astaroth for the last time with an apathetic face. "Shalba is just an insignificant piece in the game I'm playing. Farewell." Then, he ran away. "I'll be back to collect by blades! … and your head!"

**XxX Benumbed XxX**

"-cute little pawn!" Rias shouted, her form illuminated by reddish-black energy. Her Power of Destruction. Lifting her finger, she fired a beam of the same energy at the fallen angel.

Raynare, her format battered and broken, saw the attack soaring towards her from her position on the ground. She did not close her eyes. She was unable to… unable to tear her eyes away from her fast-approaching death. Then, the world shifted.

"Huh?" Suddenly, she realised that she was in someone's arm.

The Power of Destruction had hit the opposite side of the wall and created a hole in it.

Rias blinked. Then, she turned to the newcomer, who had Raynare in his arms and his back towards them. "You…!" She recognised that hair and uniform anywhere.

Others, except Koneko, also had similar reactions as they realised who exactly had rescued their enemy. Yuuto's eyes narrowed in suspicion and anger, his fists tightened. The Gremory queen had a surprised and serious expression on her face.

The most vocal, though, was Issei. "EH?! YOU!" He pointed at him with a shaky hand. Disbelief written over his face.

Naruto looked at the fallen angel in his arms. "You okay?" He asked with a smile that did not go with the expression in his eyes.

Raynare, dazed at the fact that she had escaped from the clutches of death, shakily nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"Good." Then, he helped her stand up on her feet.

The injured fallen angel looked at the blond teen. "W-Who are y-you?" She refrained from commenting on how he did not feel like a fallen angel.

Naruto looked at her with a smile, his eyes closed. "We can talk all we want after we get out, okay?" Then, he turned towards the devil group. His eyes not on them, but on someone else.

Rais and her peerage tensed when they saw the blond walking towards them. Though, they did not do anything else. They watched as he stopped and kneeled on the ground, in front of the passed away nun.

Naruto looked at the girl, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, if not for her pale face and lack of rising and falling of her chest. His blue eyes, filled with sorrow and self-loathing, seemed duller than before. "Forgive me… little princess." He said, barely a whisper. But, all the devils heard him.

Everyone looked, but did not comment. Not even Raynare.

Rias looked with suspicion and uncertainty. She did not know who this boy _really_ was. She did not know his connection to the nun. But, she was definitely going to find out. But, that was for later on. Now, she could hardly believe that _this_ was the boy would had acted like a brute in front of Akeno and her.

Naruto reached out to touch Asia's cheek, but suddenly retracted his hand as if he was committing a sin. His looked at his hand, eyes filled with disdain. Those were the same hands with which he had taken a live, no matter if it was of a devil's and of the one that was the source of the girl's misery, at that. Then, he decided.

Everyone watched as the blond haired teen stood up and lifted the nun in his arms a second later.

"Raynare, come." Naruto ordered without even glancing at her, and started walking. Passing through the devil's little group. Raynare, without any complaint, hurriedly joined him. He body pained… a lot. When she would have healed up completely, she would kill that person once he was no longer useful.

"Where do you think you are taking her, bastard?!"

Naruto turned a little and found himself on the receiving end of more than one deadly look. "She lives with me." He said simply. Then, started walking again.

"Liar! Asia said she lives with-" Issei gaped when he realised something. "YOU'RE HER BROTHER?!"

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. Asia had told the boy, whenever she had met him, that he was her brother… "Yes, I am her brother." He felt happy but disappointed, surprised yet confused. Most of all, he felt angry with himself.

_"No, I have not found someone to care about."_

_"I'll never let them even touch a single strand of hair on your head and I mean it."_

Issei knew it was true. He felt a certain… bond between the two. They really were siblings. The resemblance, too, was uncanny. "W-What are you going to do…" He felt stupid asking such a question.

"What do you think?" Naruto replied. But, before he could walk away, another voice stopped him.

"Wait!" Rias shouted. She did not think that what the blond teen said was a lie, but still, she could not truly believe it. "I have a way to bring her back… you can see her again, if you want to." Her peerage shared a surprised yet knowing look.

Naruto did not turn around. "And make her your servant now that she has got her sacred gear back?" He did not sound angry. He sounded… hollow. "No, thanks." Then, he took a step forward.

"Hey, you bastard!" Issei shouted. "Buchou is giving you a chance to see her again and you _don't_ want it?! What kind of brother are you!" He stomped over to the blond haired teen, who had his back towards them. "Give Asia to us! You don't deserve someone like her!"

"Take one step ahead and you will regret it, wielder of Ddraig." It was a threat, but was said in a completely normal and indifferent voice. That made it all the more threatening.

Issei involuntarily stopped. This voice of this guy chilled him to the core. The person in front of him was not the person who he had met at the academy. He glanced at the red gauntlet on his arm. _Is he refering to my boosted gear? Ddraig…?_

"Let's go." Raynare urged. She did not like staying there for even a second more. She was sure that she and her new saviour would be overwhelmed in no time by the devils, if they wanted to do so. She did not know what the blond haired teen was playing at. Before she had the nun brought to in Kuoh, she had considered all the available information regarding her and found out that the now-dead girl was an orphan. She did not have a brother. So, who exactly was this person and why had he saved her?

Naruto started walking wordlessly, holding the cold body in his arms.

_"I'll Be always here for you, Asia. It's a promise of a lifetime."_

_"You don't deserve someone like her!"_

The blond haired teen stopped. He knew what he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he turned around, towards the Gremory heiress' group and walked to them. Laying down the girl, he faced Lucifer's sister. "You can have her."

Rias looked at the boy with an uncertain, conflicted look in her eyes. As he walked away, she could not help but feel as if he was hiding some dark secret.

Raynare was silently seething at the blond teen. When he reached to her, she whispered. "Are you insane?! We could have extracted her twilight healing from her!"

Rias, Akeno and everyone else in their group, heard it. They sent various degrees of disgusted and hateful looks towards the fallen angel.

Issei was about to vocalise his anger. But, a look from Akeno shut him up.

Naruto looked at the injured fallen angel with dull, half-lidded eyes. "Raynare, are you in pain?"

The fallen angel looked at him oddly, at such unrelated question. "No, not much." She shook her head.

"Excellent."

Raynare stared at him in bewilderment. "But, what ab-" That was already she could say before she lost consciousness, her wings disappeared.

"Eto." Naruto caught her from falling to the ground. His face was once again apathetic as he looked at the fallen angel in his arms. Without a word, he walked away at a sedate pace, carrying the reason of Asia's death, in his arms. _No… it's not her… it's… me._ "Gremory! Tell her not to come back to me!"

Rias and her peerage looked on with varying expressions, as her classmate knocked the fallen angel out, with a simple touch to the neck. They stared at the teen's back, until it completely disappeared from their vision.

"That guy…" Yuuto said, bringing everyone's attention to him. His face had a hardened look. "He is dangerous."

Rias stared at her knight. She knew that Yuuto was hiding something from her. She had sensed the change in mood after he had come back with Issei to the clubroom, in the evening.

The Crimson haired ruin-princess turned towards the nun, who lay motionless on the ground. "For now, let's bring Asia back."

**Benumbed**

Blue eyes stared tiredly at their reflection in the sink mirror. The sound of water flowing through the tap, pierced through the choking silence.

Gathering the liquid in his hands, he splashed it onto his face.

Sighing, he stared at his reflection, looking back at him with the same tired and melancholic eyes. Dull blue eyes that begged him to stop, stop causing pain onto his own self.

He stared at his reflection. What he saw was not the face of a seventeen year old, but of a tired old man who had went beyond his mental and physical limits, and would soon drive himself to the grave.

The teen blinked and the old man was gone. Only to be replaced by a small boy. A broad grin on his face and vibrant ceruleans that shone with joy.

Forcefully tearing his eyes away, the blond haired teen wiped his face and came out of the bathroom, closing it behind him. Sedately walking out of his room and down the stairs, he sat himself down on the dining table.

His eyes fixed on the book that he had given Asia to read, sitting idly on the table. _His_ book.

While he stared at the old book, his mind went elsewhere and lingered on someone.

He reminded himself that he did the right thing by cutting off his ties with the girl. Now, she would be able to live the way she deserved, in the care of the Gremory heiress. The girl had suffered enough from living with him for a day.

"In the end, I still wasn't able to give her the tour that I promised." He laughed bitterly.

Sharply, he turned towards the main door. "What the…" A few moments later, the door opened. "What are you doing here?"

Asia looked at him quizzically, then she smiled. "Buchou-san asked me to stay with her and Issei-san offered that I could stay with him, now that I'm a devil. But, I declined."

"Why?"

"Because this is my home."

Naruto stared at her, his mouth parting open slightly and his eyes wide. After a few moments, he started laughing at himself, rather than _to_ himself. "I should have known…" He said under his breath.

Composing himself, he smiled at the girl. "So, you hungry, little princess?"

Asia nodded feverishly.

"Excellent! Now, come and help me in the kitchen."

Asia followed behind the blond haired teen with a smile. "They told me that you came." She had to stop herself from bumping into the older blond, who had suddenly stopped walking. "Naruto-kun?"

She nearly shrieked in surprise, when the said teen suddenly turned around and bowed in front of her.

"Forgive me… for everything." Naruto said earnestly, while still bowing. "Forgive me for not spending time with you! Forgive me for not being there when you need me the most! Forgive me for not saving you!"

Asia smiled kindly. "But, you came. That is what matters."

Naruto stood up straight, his eyes focused on the smiling girl. "… Oh." Without a word, he turned back and headed to the kitchen. Silently, he made a promise to himself. "Hurry up, Asia. We don't want to eat after midnight, do we?"

"One more thing, Asia."

"Yes?"

"Never go to Issei's house without informing me, Okay."


End file.
